


Travelling Soldier

by LiliDragonsF



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Arrow - Freeform, F/M, olicity - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-26
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2018-09-02 09:24:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 73,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8662165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiliDragonsF/pseuds/LiliDragonsF
Summary: Oliver is about to leave to fight a war, he has no one to send a letter to then he meets this blonde girl named Felicity and asks her if he can write to her. She doesn't know why but she hates.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by the song "Travelling soldier" by The Dixie Chicks that I have been obessed with for so long. I hope you all enjoy it and be nice, english is not my first language ;)

Oliver has been struggling all his life to find his place. Not only in the world but also in his own family. Being born a Queen should have make his life easier but it just did not, at least not for him. From the day he was born, his future was already written by his parents. One day he will become CEO of Queen Consolidated. His path had been chosen and he had to follow it. No one ever asked him what he wanted to do with his life. Oliver always felt like his life was never really his. He couldn't connect with the Oliver Queen everyone expected him to be. So he started acting out. He was partying and drinking at a very young age and he didn't stop until he had already lost everything. Everything except hid bestfriend Tommy.

 

\- Are you sure you want to do this, man?

  
\- You go, I go, Oliver answered.

  
It has always been this way between them. Wherever one go, the other would stand by his side. Oliver followed Tommy through the darkness and now he was ready to follow him through hell. And Irak was going to be his Hell.

 

\- You can't be spending your last night alone, Ollie.

  
The two men were sitting on the couch finishing their beers. Their party days were long gone now.

  
\- It's okay, Tommy. I'll just go to sleep early.

  
Tommy looked at him then laughed. A big laugh that came from down his stomach.

  
\- What's so funny? Asked Laurel sitting next to Tommy on the couch.

  
Laurel and Tommy have been together for 2 years now but Oliver and her have been dating for a few months before that. Months during which he cheated on her on a number of times. She was a nice girl, just not the right one for him. But she seemed to be Tommy's which made Oliver really happy, for both of them.

  
\- Oliver Queen saying he'll go to sleep early, Tommy managed to say between laughs.

  
\- Never thought I'd ever hear that, from the famous party boy Oliver Queen.

  
\- Some things change, Oliver said, smiling.

  
\- But some things never change, Laurel says.

  
She mooved on from Oliver a long time ago. They both realised that what they had was just an illusion of love. But the hurt was still there. He could see it in her eyes sometimes. And he hated it cause he could see the man, the douchebag, he used to be in her eyes.

  
\- I'll leave you two alone, he said standing up.

  
Tommy followed him to the door.

  
\- See you tomorrow, brother, Tommy said before hugging his friend.

  
Tommy knew that Oliver joined the army for him but he couldn't help being happy to know he'll have his bestfriend with him over there. Oliver hugged him back.

 

He didn't want to go back to Tommy's house. He has been staying there for the past three months and was still not calling it home. Not that Tommy didn't do his best to make it feel that way for his bestfriend. But it just wasn't home.

 

Oliver had not return home since that night. And he thought he will never go back but without really thinking about it, he ended up in front of the gates. He looked at the mansion he grew up in, the mansion he hated for so long. He felt like a prisonner in there but now, he missed it so bad. Not just the mansion of course, but his family. And his little sister, Thea, more than anything. He could see her bedroom's window from here. He pulled his phone out of his jean pocket and send her a text.

  
"Hey Speedy! Just wanted to tell you I love you."

  
He waited a few minutes but no answer. He didn't deserve one. Not after what he did. He turned around and was about to leave when his phone buzzed.

  
"Love you too, Ollie. Can't talk now. Call you soon."

  
She didn't know he was leaving. Nobody knew apart from Tommy and Laurel. Not that it was a secret, he just didn't have anyone to tell. He was all alone with no home.

 

Oliver ended up at his favorite coffee shop just a few blocks from Tommy's place. He loved this place at night cause it was very quiet. At this hour of the night, he was usually alone in there with Paul, the owner. Paul and him developped a certain relationship. They would not bother one an other. And that was pretty much it. But as he was just finishing his third coffee, he heard the door open. He turned around to see who was as crazy as him to come get coffee at 2 am in the morning. And that's when he saw her.

 

The girl. The same girl he saw a few times in the morning. The girl he couldn't stop thinking about for hours after seeing her. Her beautiful blonde hair, and her even more beautiful blue eyes that he could not admire properly through her glasses. She was always wearing beautiful dresses that made him believe she was some kind of corporate woman but tonight, she was only wearing a jean and a sweater. She wasn't wearing any make up and her hair was pulled into a ponytail. She looked more beautiful than ever.

 

She stopped when she noticed him in the corner. They looked at each other for a few second then she went straight to Paul and ordered an americano. She asked him about his family and chatted with him a bit. She told Paul more words in a few minutes than Oliver did in the past three months. He was really bad with people.  
She sat just a few table from Oliver and he couldn't stop to look at her. She was typing on her phone, not even looking up when Paul put her order on the table. She took a sip of it and spit it out immediately.

  
\- Hot! Hot! Hot! she said venting in front of her mouth like it was gonna do anything.

  
Oliver couldn't help but laugh.

\- It's not funny! She frowned at him.

\- Sorry! he said, handing her his glass of water. Here.

She hesitated but finally took it.

\- Thank you. I should me more careful with what I put in my mouth.

Oliver chuckled.

\- Not that I usually put things in my mouth. I mean, of course I put things in my mouth, like food or water, and I like to chew on my pen sometimes.

\- I noticed, he murmured.

\- But I didn't mean it like in a dirty way. Not that there is anything wrong with putting things in your mouth in a dirty way. Okay I'm babling, and I will stop in 3, 2, 1.

\- Please don't, Oliver said, it's cute.

He smiled at her and she smiled back at him.

\- I'm Felicity Smoak.

\- Oliver Queen, he answered. You don't know who I am? he asked after a few seconds.

It had been such a long time since he met someone that didn't know who he was. She looked at him a little too long like she was trying to remember something but she just shooked her head.

\- No. Should I know you? Are you someone important?

\- No, I'm no one.

\- You must be someone at least someone to somebody.

\- No. I don't have anybody anymore, he said.

She could feel that there was more to that statement and she wanted to ask about it but she bite her tongue.

\- Anyway, it won't matter tomorrow anyway.

\- Why? Oh God, are you planning to kill yourself? Please don't, I couldn't handle being the last person you talked to before you …

\- No! I'm not comitting suicide. Or maybe I am in a way, he added.

She looked at him puzzled.

\- I'm in the army. I'm leaving for Afghanistan tomorrow.

Felicity didn't say anything. What could she say to a stranger leaving for war in a few hours. Nothing. She wished she could do something for him.

\- You can't, he said.

\- Oh, I said it out loud. Sorry, it happens to me all the time, she said sipping on her coffee, her cheeks turning red.

She put her mug down and looked straight at him.

\- Nothing, really? I mean it. I really want to do something for you.

She seemed so sincere, like it was important for her.

\- Really?

\- Yes. Please, anything ... I mean, don't ask me anything dirty cause that would ruin the moment, for sure. And I'm pretty sure you can guess the answer.

\- I would never, he said laughing. But there is something actually.

\- Yes.

\- You don't even know what I'm gonna ask.

\- I trust you. So yes.

\- How can you trust me? You don't even know who I am. And if you did, you wouldn't trust me. You shouldn't trust me.

\- Telling me not to trust you only makes me trust you even more, Mr Queen.

He smiled at her.

\- You are remarkable, Miss Smoak.

\- Thank you for remarking on it, she said. Now tell me what I agreed to.

\- I have no one to write to, no family, and my only friend is leaving with me so ...

She didn't even let him finish. She took a piece of paper from her bag and wrote down her home address, her phone number and her email.

\- I don't know if you'll have access to a computer there so here is everything you need to contact me, she said handing him the paper.

Their hand touched for just a few seconds when he took the paper and he lingered a little bit too long. She had beautiful hands, small and perfect, just like her.

\- Thank you, she said.

\- I said that out loud, didn't I.

It was his turn to turn red.

\- So what are your plans for your last night home? she asked him.

\- I thought I could hang out in a cafe and meet the prettiest girl on the planet.

She laughed.

\- That is so cheesy! she said . But sweet too. But seriously, what are your plans?

\- I was serious even if the meeting was not intended. I have no plans.

\- But, it's your last night! We have to do something! she said standing up fast. I have an idea!


	2. Chapter 2

Felicity didn't know why she wanted him to see her favorite place in the city. When Oliver said this was his last night in the city, she thought about where she would want to spend her last night here. So she took him by the hand and started walking. And now, they had been walking for ten minutes and she was still holding his hand. She liked the way her small hand fit perfectly into his. Their fingers intertwinded. She liked the way his thumb started to stroke her wrist. She could feel the calluses on the tip of his finger and she wondered what made his skin so thick.

\- We're here, she said still not letting go of his hand.

They were standing by the pier, where Felicity always came when she needed to get away from her life. Preferably in the middle of the night when it was all quiet and empty. When all she could do was sit on a bench and look at the city's lights.

\- I love the quiet, Oliver said sitting on the bench next to her.

\- Me too, it helps me stop thinking, she said.

He looked at her for a few moments, not sure if she was gonna elaborate on that declaration. But she didn't, so he didn't push and for a while, they just sat there looking at the lights. She usually sat on this bench alone and the all world would disappear around her. But not tonight. She couldn't stop thinking that this was abstolutely not how she thought her night was going to go.

Just a few hours ago, she finished working on this antivirus her boss was waiting for and she still needed to get the presentation ready for the Monday morning meeting. And that's when she had the brilliant idea to get coffee and discovered that she drunk it all and that her roomate didn't buy any. Damn you, Caitlin. So she got dressed rapidely cause she couldn't go get coffee in her unicorn pyjama. Then she went to the coffee shop on the corner, she was heading for the door when she noticed him.

Cutie Pie as her friend Iris called him. She saw him here a few times and mentionned him to Iris who gave him a nickname right away. The first time she saw him here, he was buying pie and looked famished. She saw him a few more times and every time she came back to the office smiling and Iris would know that she saw Cutie Pie. But tonight he was the only customer in the shop and she hesitated at the door What if he noticed her? What if he talked to her? She thought of going back home or look for an other place to get her cafeine fix but then decided against it. She was a strong woman, she could face her Cutie Pie. So she did what any strong woman would have done, she took her phone out and got in totally ignoring him pretending to be busy on her phone. And now she was sitting on her bench with him next to her.

\- So ... The army, she said. I mean ... You don't look like an army guy ... even if I don't really know what an army guy is ... Or an army girl ... I don't even know anyone in the army ..

\- Felicity, he said her name in a calm and amused voice, looking straight into her eyes.

\- Sorry, I babble sometimes. Not just sometimes, most of the times. But I will stop in 3, 2, 1.

\- I like your babbling, he said before turning back to the city lights.

Felicity waited a few minutes before asking again.

\- So ... Why the army? she asked.

She saw his entire body tensed. He took a deep breath and she felt like she asked a question he just didn't want to answer. Asking the wrong questions had always been her super power, that and babbling of course.

\- I'm sorry, she added. You don't have to answer.

\- No I don't, he said before turning to face her again. It's just a very long and complicated answer.

\- I understand. she said smiling at him.

His eyes rested on her lips just a little too long, which she noticed, then he shot his eyes close and took an other deep breath.

\- His name is Tommy. And he is the reason I joined the army.

\- Oh. Okay, she said.

Oliver looked at her and saw something in her eyes, disappointment.

\- So you have someone ... she added.

Oliver didn't understand at first then realised what she was thinking and couldn't help but laugh.

\- You think Tommy and I ... Oh God! He's my bestfriend, Felicity! I've know him myall life. So when he joined the army I followed him. I couldn't just let him go there on his own,  he said still laughing.

\- Oh! she said laughing with him now. So you're not ...

\- Gay? No! Straight and single. You?

\- Same, she said.

\- Good, he whispered. And now, what do we do?

\- Maybe you want to get back to your place and have some rest. I mean, I don't know if you sleep in the army.

\- I believe they let you get some sleep, yes. And I'm pretty sure I won't be able to sleep anyway.

\- What do you usually do when you can't sleep? she asked feeling that he had his share of sleepless nights.

\- I go for a run, he said. You?

\- Ice-cream.

\- Ice cream?

\- Yes, Ice Cream.

 

 

Oliver didn't know what it was but he was fascinated by this woman. She was so natural, not hiding who she was. She was herself and made it look so easy.

\- What's your favorite flavour? she asked.

They were walking back to the city hoping to find a grocery store still open.

\- Hum, I don't know, I haven't had ice-cream in a very long time, he answered not able to remember when it was exactly.

It must have been with Thea, the last time she broke up with a boyfriend or made him watch a romantic comedy with her. He wasn't sure of the exact time but he knew it was with her. 

Who is Thea? Felicity asked.

\- What? he said surprised to hear his sister's name.

\- You just said her name. I mean you don't have to tell me. We just met, you don't owe me any explanation, you can say whatever girl's name when you're with me, I won't take it personnaly, she said laughing.

But Oliver thought he heard a little something in her voice, like she did mind hearing him say an other woman's name.

\- She's my sister. he said.

She looked relieved by his answer.

\- It's closed, he said when they arrived in front of the last grocery store.

They've already tried three and all of them were closed. But Felicity didn't give up. He would get some ice-cream tonight.

\- Damn it! she said.

They satyed on the corner of the street a few minutes, not knowing what to do next. What else could they do so they don't have to part?

\- Let's go to my plac, she said and it made Oliver freeze.

It's not that he didn't want to go back to her place, not that he didn't want to see where she lived but the possibility of being alone inside her appartment with her made him very uncomfortable. He liked the idea of being alone with her, the idea of being close to her, sitting on her couch, able to touch her maybe. But something about it scared him..

\- Not to have sex! she said seeing the look on his face.

She thought she recognised lust but maybe it was just the reflection of her own for this man she barely knew.

\- I'm not that kind of girl. Not that there is anything wrong with those girls. I mean they are free to do whatever they want, like I am not to have sex with someone I just met.

\- Felicity, he said her name and she stopped talking immediately cause her heart just skipped a beat.

\- I have ice-cream, at home, she explained.

\- Okay, he said accepting this simple explanation for her invitation.

So they started walking. She was living just a few blocks from where they were but they didn't talk until they were at the front door. Both of them trying not to think too much about everything that was going on.

\- It looks nice from the outside, Oliver said. Maybe we could get in, he added.

Felicity had been looking at the door for a few minutes now, trying to decide if this was a good idea. She never brought a man to her place before. I mean she did, some friends, Barry and Cisco come her all the time but this is different. Oliver was different. She always had a hard time trusting men. It took her years to trust Barry and he was like a brother to her.

\- Felicity, Oliver said touching her arm.

Her heart skipped a beat again.

\- Yes, let's go in, shefinally said before opening the door.

The place looked exactly like her. It was full of joy and even if he had only knew her for a few hours he could see her personnality in here. And it smelled like her too, a scent of vanilla with a hint of mint. She put her bag on the floor next to the front door and made her way to the small kitchen on the right telling him to make himself home.

Oliver looked around and loved everything about the place. All the colors and very odd objects scattered all around the room and all the photos. It was like she put every memory, every significant moment she lived in here. This was a home.

\- It's not much but it's home, she said from the kitchen.

Oliver was looking at all the pictures. Felicity had a lot of friends like those two girls that were with her in pretty much every picture. She looked so happy in all of them. All of the Queen's family pictures were staged and never felt real to him. He had aalways hated taking those pictures. He always had to wear the perfect ourfit his mother had chosen and stand still, putting a fake smile on his face. He had to pretend to be perfect once more. But all of hers felt so real. She looked so happy in every one of them. Especially the one with this boy. They were hugging in an other one, holding hands in an other one. Who is that guy?

\- That guy is Barry! Felicity said handing him a bowl.

\- You make a cute couple, Oliver said not meaning it at all.

He didn't know why seeing her next to an ohter man made him feel so angry.

\- Yes if you think incest looks cute. He's my step brother, she added.

\- Oh, okay, was all he could answer. What flavour is this?

\- Mint chocolate. It's my favorite. Sorry I'm out of vanilla.

\- It's okay. I'll try your favorite.

They both sat down on the couch and ate their ice-cream in silent. Felicity had always hated silence. Before her mom remarried, she used to spend a lot of time alone while her mom was working. And she hated it. She felt lonely and sad most of the time. The appartment would sound so empty and it would make her miss her dad. Maybe it's the reason why she's always babbling. Silence makes her uncomfortable. But not this silence. Not his silence. She feels at peace in his silence.

\- It's actually not that bad, he said when he has finished his bowl.

\- I know, right. She got up and took both bowls to the sink.

\- I should probably go, he said joining her in the kitchen.

\- Oh! was all she could say to that.

What else was she supposed to say. Don't go. Stay. Why would he stay? And to do what? She was not gonna sleep with him no matter how much she wanted to. No matter how much she wanted to kiss his lips, to taste him. No matter how much she wanted him to touch her. No, she was not that kind of girl. But at the same time she didn't want him to leave.

\- I don't want you to leave.

She coudln't believe she said that. He looked so happy hearing her say that.

\- But I don't want to keep you from getting some rest before you leave tomorrow. I mean, I'm sure you want to go to bed. And you should. But I have a bed here. So you could go to bed here, with me. But not to have sex, just to sleep. Cause you need to sleep and so do I and I told you I'm not the kind of girl that sleeps with a stranger. Which is exactly what I just offered. Please make me stop talking.

He put his hand on her shoulder and once again, her heart skipped a beat.

\- I would love not to have sex with you, he said smiling.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver spends the night at Felicity's

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay but I'm still not entirely satisfied with this chapter but hey it's still my first time so forgive me and I still hope to get some help and advices.

He is staying the night. Felicity still can't believe she asked him to stay the night. And that he said yes. And now she is in her bathroom getting ready for bed, a bed she is going to share with Oliver. But that is not even the weirdest part, the weirdest part is that she doesn't feel weird about it. Weird, right? She told him she was going to change and let him wait in her bedroom. It was so strange to see him in the middle of her bedroom. It's not like she never had any man in here. Barry and Cisco had both been in here multpile times. And she had a couple men in her bedroom, but they never stayed the night. She never wanted them to. Having Oliver stay the night is something she wants more than she probably should. And here he is, waiting for her in her bedroom. 

He loved her room even more than he loved the rest of the appartment. It looked so much like her. Again so much colors, a lot of green actually, she must really like that color. He promised himself to remember it. And again so many photos. And a beautiful Robin Hood poster was hanging above her bed. He had to aske her about it. There was a lot of computer stuff on one side of the room, a few clothes on the green armchair and some books on the bedside table and a tablet. He still couldn't believe she asked him to stay. And he didn't know why he said yes. Actually, he knew exactly why. Because he just didn't want to leave her. Not yet. Of course, sex was off the table and maybe that's why he felt so comfortable about the idea of spending the night with her. Not that he didn't do sex, no he used to do sex a lot, probably too much. But he hadn't have sex in a long time. And if he ever had sex with Felicity, he wanted it to mean more. He couldn't help think about taking her on this bed. Their bodies tangled. 

\- Hey, she said, startling him. 

She was wearing a pink short and a black top with no bra on. He could see the outline of her nipples under her top and he needed a lot of concentration to not loose control. And her beautiful legs were not helping. 

\- Hey. You look ... beautiful, he told her. 

Her cheeks turned red and she had a little laugh. 

\- Yeah, right. 

\- I'm serious, Felicity. You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, he said with the most truthful voice. 

She stared at him not believing he just said that. Why would he say that? When they were about to share a bed. 

\- Are you trying to change my mind about sex? she said sitting on her bed, trying so hard to compose herself. 

\- NO! You just are really beautiful, he added. 

She didn't say anything. I mean why could she say to that. 

\- You can make yourself comfortable too, you know. I'm not sure jeans are the best thing to wear to sleep. Not that I want you to get naked, not that there is anything wrong about sleeping naked, I like it too especially when it's hot … and I said that out loud again. 

\- Yeah, still cute, he said doing as told. 

She tried her best not to look while he took his pants off. But she couldn't help and stopped breathing when he took his shirt off. It was the most beautiful thing she has ever seen. This man was taking very good care of his body. But the abs were not the only reason she was staring. She couldn't help but look at his scars. So many scars. Her eyes met his. She stood up and came closer to him not breaking the eye contact. She held her hand, asking his approuval with her eyes before touching them. She traced all of his scars with her fingers. He had a huge one on the right side of his abdomen, she followed it and positionned herself behind him. He had more scars on his back. She touched them all. She didn't know where they came from but she needed to touch them like she could wash them away by her touch. Oliver shivered when she touched the one on his lower back, it was still red as if it was a recent one. 

\- Does it hurt? 

\- Just this one. 

\- Sorry, she said taking her hand off him. 

He turned to face her and took her hands in his. 

\- Don't ever apologize to me. And please don't stop, he added putting her hand back on his chest. 

She traced the line going from his left pectoral to his right shoulder. She could feel his entire body shiver at her touch. She was playing a very very dangerous game and she knew it. She had to stop touching him. She had never felt so attract to anyone like that before. That need to be near him, to touch him even just a little. It felt so good and so scary. 

\- Maybe we should ... get to bed ... and get some sleep, she added morer for herself than for him, her hand leaving his chest. 

He smiled and followed her. They lied under the green blanket facing each other. They looked at each other for a while not talking. Oliver believed he could look at this face for the rest of his life and it didn't ever scare him. He will never get tired of her beautiful blue eyes. 

\- What is happening to me? he asked in a murmur. 

\- I was wondering the same thing, she said knowing exactly what he meant. 

He touched her face very slowly and his finger stopped right next to her lips. Those lips he couldn't stop thinking about. Thoses lips he wanted to kiss so badly. Thoses lips he needed to taste knowing it would change him forever. 

\- Please don't kiss me, she begged him closing her eyes taking his touch in. 

\- Okay, he said taking his hand off her face. 

She catched it and kissed his knuckles. 

\- I would never do anything you don't want me to do, he told her in a reassuring voice.

She opened her eyes. 

\- You think I don't want you to kiss me?

\- Well you just begged me not to kiss you, so ... 

\- It's because I want you to kiss me so bad that you shouldn't. 

\- That doesn't make any sense, Felicity. 

\- If you kiss me now, I won't want you to stop and it will lead to something more and it will probably be a very magical night but then in the morning ... 

\- I'll leave. 

\- Yes. 

They kept looking at each other, their hand entertwined. 

\- I understand. 

\- It's just that I want more than just one night … with you, she added. 

\- But right now it's all I can offer you. 

\- I know. 

\- Do you want me to go? He asked after a moment.

\- No! she shouted louder than she wanted. Do you want to go? 

\- There is no place I'd rather be, he said opening his arms to her. 

She snuggled and rest her head on his chest, on his heart, listening to his heartbeat. 

\- This is so unfair, I want to have a real chance to know you before you leave.- 

\- We still have time, he said holding her tighter like he could make time slow down.

\- Okay. Tell me more about your family.

 

Family. Felicity always struggled with that word, that all idea. For nine years, her family was her mom and her dad. The three of them. Then one day, her dad left with no explanations. So it was just her and her mom. The two of them against the world as her mom used to say even if it was more Felicity alone while her mom worked three jobs. She had lost a Dad, a family and soon her home. Her mom met Henry and she decided leave Las Vegas to move to Star City with him and his son. It's not that Felicity really loved Vegas, but it was her home. So from then it was her mom, Henry, Barry and her. The four of them against the world. Well not exactly. Henry and her mom were like teenagers, travelling and spending more time being lovers than being parents. So it was mostly Barry and her against the world. He became her best friend, her confident, her brother so naturally. He was the first boy she fell in love with. The first boy she kissed. Immediately after their first kiss, they realised taht no matter how much they loved each other, they didn't love each other that way. And it made them get even closer. And there were Iris, Barrry's childhood friend. Then she met Cisco and Cailtin in college and they became her family. She loved them all so much and she knew she could count on everyone of them no matter what. Her relationship with her mother was still pretty complicated but she loved her and Henry too. But Barry, Iris, Caitlin and Cisco were the family she choose and build for herself. They were a part of her and she believed that knowing more about Oliver's family would get her closer to knowing who he really was. 

\- I have a very complicated realtionship with my parents, he said. 

\- What about your sister? 

His face lighted up at the mention of his baby sister. 

\- She is the best. She is a true force of nature with a very bad taste in men. She is brilliant and kind. She has such a big heart and is always there for the one she loves. 

\- She sounds amazing. 

\- She is. 

\- You miss her? 

\- Yes. Very much. 

She could feel the pain in his voice. She raised her head to look at him. His jaw was so tense. She caressed his face and he lingered in her hand welcoming the warmth on his skin. She missed her half brother all the time even if they were talking or texting every day. And from what she could understand, Oliver seemed to love his sister as much as she loved Barry. But he didn't miss her because she was living far away, she could feel it was worst than that. 

\- Something happened? 

\- Yes, he said shutting his eyes. 

\- Something bad? 

\- Yes, he answered opening his eyes.

\- Okay, she said before putting her head back on his chest. 

She didn't say anything more. She closed her eyes, listening to his heartbeat, caressing his bare chest with her fingers, enjoying the feel of his hand on her lower back. Oliver wasn't ready to share what happenned with his family, he wasn't ready for her to know what kind of man he used to be and what he did that destroyed his relationship with his family. And she understood that without him having to explain or to push her away. 

\- It's so unfair, she whispered. 

\- What is? 

\- That we met too late. 

\- It's never too late, Felicity. I am so happy I finally had the gut to talk to you, he said. 

She sat up. 

\- What do you mean "finally"? 

\- Well I noticed you before. 

\- You did? 

\- Yes. You were always such in a hurry with your phone or tablet in your hands. I used to watch you, not in a creepy way, just observe you working. You look so cute when you're working hard on something. Nothing else exists when you're into your Felicity bubble. 

\- My Felicity bubble? 

\- Yes, so cute. 

She smiled at him. She used to feel so weird when boys complimented her. She never thought of herself really beautiful or even cute. She always felt so awkward and different. But  
she liked hearing Oliver call her cute, that's for sure. 

\- I noticed you too, you know.

\- Really?

\- Of course, you're not the kind of man that doesn't get noticed. I mean, have you looked at you? You look like a greek god. Even more beautiful. So yeah, I noticed you. 

\- I never thought you could see anything apart from your screens. 

\- I'm pretty good at multitasking, she said proud of herself. 

He smiled back at her. 

\- You are remarkable, Miss Smoak. 

\- Thank you for remarking on it, Mr Queen. 

\- I only wish we had more time. 

\- What would you do if we had all the time in the world? 

\- Well first, I would ask you on a date.

\- A date? Like a date date? 

\- A date implying dinner, yes a real date. 

\- Hum, I would probably say yes, she said. You know with the all greek god thing, it's hard to say no, she laughed. Where would you take me on this real date? 

\- I would take you to a very special place I know with an even more beautiful view of the city than the one you showed me tonight. We would have a nice dinner, drink some wine there before we woudl head back to this little movie theatre I know downtown where you can watch very old movies. 

\- I love old movies. 

\- Then I will take you to get some vanilla ice cream.

\- Good idea. 

\- And then I would get you back to your door. 

\- Hum, and then? 

\- I would hold your hand, just like that, he said taking her hand. 

\- Yeah? 

\- Yes, and I would tell you how beautiful you look and how grateful I am to have had the chance to spend this evening with you. 

\- That's nice. 

\- Then I would touch you cheek just like that, he said, his hand touching slowly her skin. Then I would get a little closer, he said moving closer to her, and a little closer, his face just a few inches from hers, and closer, he said, moving so close she could feel his breath on her. 

But then he didn't move closer, he froze right there, waiting for her to make the last move, like he needed permission to kiss her, his eyes never leaving hers. She could feel her whole body shivering, wanting this like it never wanting anything before.

\- And closer, she whispered before closing the little space left between them. 

This kiss was the kind of kiss that could end all things. They both never experienced that kind of kiss. It was like their lips have known each other and had been waiting to be reunited forever. His hard lips brushed gently on hers before she opened them and let his tongue invade her mouth. They didn't know they were starving before they tasted each other. The heat grew inside them and they both knew that if they didn't part soon, they would never be able to stop themselves. Oliver was the one that broke the kiss, letting both of them panting. 

\- So that happened, Felicity said smiling at him, theur foreheads touching. 

\- I'm glad it did, he said kissing her one more time. But we have to stop, he added parting their lips. 

\- Why, she said holding his face in her hands and kissing him again and again. 

\- Because I'm not sure I'll be able to stop if we keep kissing like that. And that's not what you want. 

She let go of his face. He was half right. The pain growing between her legs wanted this so bad but her mind was screaming her to stop right now. So she did.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some pillow talk and night terrors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it had been so long but it's been crazy at work lately. I'll try to post Chapter 5 and 6 next week.

She needed to stop that. Like right now. This was ridiculous. He was right. She said it herself. She is not the kind of girl that sleeps with strangers. She never could.

\- You want to sleep, he asked.

\- Not sure I can, she said.

Not after what just happened and with this pain down her body still craving for more, she probably won't be able to sleep especially with him by her side. Felicity couldn't believe it. She had never felt that way. I mean she mostly enjoyed sex, even if it didn't seem such a big deal for her. People always made a fuss of it but she never understood why. But tonight, it was the first time she felt such a hunger for it.

\- I'd rather talk a little more if it's okay with you, she said, hoping it will make the pain stop.

If they were talking, she could occupy her mind with something else than the taste of his lips, or the feel of his hand on her body.

\- I'm usually not much of a talker. But okay, he said lying back on the bed. Tell me about your family.

\- Oh, so I guess I'll be the one talking, she said smiling.

\- Where are you from ?

\- Vegas.

\- Really?

\- Yes, some people live there you know, and not just exotic dancers and drug dealers.

\- I know, sorry. You just don't look like a Vegas girl.

\- What does a Vegas girl look like? She said frowning.

\- I don't know. I really should just shut up, right? He said half smiling.

\- Yeah. You probably should, she said laughing at him.

\- But seriously how was it, growing up there?

\- I loved it.

She did. She loved the city. The lights that never went off. The people always coming and going. The desert and the sun burning your face. She loved everything about Vegas.

\- So why do you have this sad look on your face when you talk about it? he said touching her cheek with the tip of his fingers. She leaned in a little bit, enjoying the warm of his palm on her skin.

\- I loved the city but not everything that happened to me there.

He could feel the pain in her eyes. He hated knowing that a part of her was still suffering from whatever happened there. The idea of Felicity being hurt in any way was unbearable for him.

\- You don't have to talk about it, he told her opening his arms to her.

\- No, it's okay. I was only 9 when my dad left my mum and I. One day, I came back from school and he was just gone. It was like he never even existed. Then after that my mum had to work really hard to raise me by herself and I was alone pretty much all the time growing up.

\- I'm sorry.

He held her a little closer. Imagining a little Felicity all alone at home just broke his heart. He grew up alone too with cold and absent parents but from the moment Thea arrived, he was never totally alone. He's not sure he would have make it that far in life if he didn't have her to protect.

\- It was a long time ago. Then my mum met Henry and we mooved to Central City. And then I had Barry.

\- Barry, your step brother.

\- Yes. He is the best. From the moment I walked into his home, I was never alone again.

Barry was not just her step brother, she hated calling him that. He was her brother, her bestfriend. He was a part of her soul. She loved him like she had never loved anyone before, until now maybe.

\- He's your brother.

\- Yes.

\- I'm glad you found him.

\- I'm glad I found you too, she said. Even if it's just for one night.

\- I'll write to you. Everyday if I can. And I'll come back.

\- You promise?

He didn't answer right away and Felicity felt his all body tense under her. Then after a moment, he took a deep breath and said :

\- You know I can't promise you that. I don't know what will happen over there. And I can't lie to you, Felicity. Ever.

So many men she loved lied to her and now the one she wanted the most to lie to her wouldn't. Talk about bad karma.

\- Fair enough, she said knowing he was right. How about you promise me you'll do everything you can to come back to me?

He smiled and kissed her forehead.

\- That I can promise you.

\- Good.

He lied back down and she put her head on his heart, closing her eyes.

\- You'll come back to me, I know it, she whispered.

 

 

She woke up in his arms. It was still dark outside and the clock on her nightstand told her it was only 3 am. She took Oliver's arms off her before slipping out of the bed. She looked at him one more time, this Greek God sleeping in her bed, before leaving the room. She was so thirsty. She went straight to the kitchen and pour herself a glass of water. She leaned against the counter, sipping her water, thinking about everything they both said tonight.

She couldn't believe how easy it was for her to talk to him. It actually scared her a little but she knew she could trust him. She couldn't explain it but she could feel it. Just like he could trust her. She already knew she could do almost anything for him and that scared her for sure. She had never been that kind of girl. I mean, she was once, but she learned her lesson. But Oliver was different. So different.  
She felt them before she heard them. The screams coming from her bedroom. Her half full glass shattered on the floor and she ran to him as fast as she could. He was still sleeping but screaming. He was screaming her name. She got on the bed quickly and tried to wake him up.  
\- Oliver! Oliver! I'm here! Wake up!  
But he didn't wake up immediately. He was shaking and screaming her name over and over again. Felicity didn't know what to do. She screamed his name as loud as she could hoping she could reach him and he finally opened his eyes. He looked so lost.

\- You're here? he said still shaking.

\- Yes, I'm here.

He hold on to her and put his head on her heart.

\- You're okay, he whispered.

\- Yes, I'm okay. And I'm here. I'm not going anywhere, Oliver.

She held him for a long time before he finally calm down and was able to breath normally.

\- I'm so sorry, he said.

\- Oliver, whatt was that?

\- Just a nightmare.

\- Just a nightmare? Really? I have nightmares, they usually involve crazy murderous clowns, I mean sometimes they're just clowns trying to make me laugh but they're just so creepy that they scare me anyway, but I never had that kind of dreams. Oliver, you were screaming my name like you thought I was ...

\- I know, he whispered.

\- Do you have those nightmare often? she asked.

\- Yes, but usually it's not your name I scream.

\- Probably the worst thing a girl want to hear, she said to make him smile. Who's name do you usually scream, Oliver?

\- Thea's.

\- Why?

\- I can't ...

That was something he couldn't tell her. Not yet. He needed her to see him as a good man not as a monster. Not like his parents see him. He knew he could'nt endure to see that in her eyes.

\- Someday?

\- Yes.

\- Promise?

\- Yes.

\- What do you need? she asked.

\- You. I only need you.

\- I'm yours, she said kissing him.

She was his. She belonged to him. She knew it was fast, too fast but she was falling in love with him. They kissed and talked a little more until she heard his steady breathing. She snuggled closer to him.

\- Goodnight, Oliver.

\- I love you, he whispered.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Felicity and Oliver to say goodbye.

It was too early. He could feel it before checking the alarm on the nightstand. The sun was barely up. The first sunshines were just passing through the curtains and starting dancing on Felicity's blonde hair. She was stil asleep and he took a few minutes to watch her. She was so beautiful. Probably th emost beautiful thing he had ever seen. It broke his heart but he had to leave. He got out of the bed without making a sound, collected his clothes and got dress quickly. He hated himself for leaving like that, he used to do it a lot, leave the room before the girl had a chance to ask his number or offer to make breakfast or sometimes even get a chance to tell him her name. But this was so different. First of all he didn't get any last night, and most importantly, he didn't want to leave her. He wanted to stay even if it was just to watch her sleep.

  
\- What happened to you last night? Tommy asked the minute he stepped into the house.

\- Nothing, he lied.

\- Breakfast is almost ready, said Laurel.

\- I'll take a shower and I'll join you.

Oliver went to the room he was staying in at Tommy's and got rid of his clothes before stepping in the shower. He turned the water on and let the flow wash him. He couldn't get Felicity out of his mind. He could picture her beautiful smile, her blue eyes looking at him, seeing right through him. Her long beautiful hair that smelled like vanilla. Her soft skin. Her lips. Her kiss. He remembered the way it felt to touch her and how her hands felt on him. He was getting hard just thinking of her hands on his chest, tracing the scars patterns. He took his erection in his hand imagining it was her hand instead. He imagined all the things he could have done to her last night, his hand more and more pressing around his lentgth. How he wanted to see all of her, how he wanted to kiss every inch of her naked body whilst touching himself like he wanted her to touch him. How he wanted to hear her cry his name whilst he was touching and kissing her everywhere. He was on the edge of coming as his breathing became more and more jerky. He was alsmot there.

\- Ollie! Breakfast is ready! Hurry up!

And now it was all gone. He took a deep breathe and came out of the shower.

\- So?

\- So what? he said to Tommy.

\- What the hell happened to you last night, man. You said you were gonna go home and sleep but you weren't here when we came back this morning. And you're still wearing the same clothes than yesterday. So what happened? asked Tommy.

\- Not much. I ... I went for some coffee …

Tommy choked on his cereals.

\- Oh no! Coffee girl?

Oliver didn't look up from his cup of fresh coffee.

\- Who is "coffee girl", Laurel asked sitting next to Tommy.

\- Just that girl Oliver has been obsessing about for the past couple months.

\- I was not obsessing! Oliver tried to defend himself.

\- Yes you were! He couldn't stop talking about her. I saw coffee girl today, she looked upset. I saw her, she was laughing on her phone. Coffee girl has such a beautiful laugh.

Tommy said imitating Oliver's voice.

\- Felicity. Her name is Felicity, he said sipping his coffee.

\- Who is Felicity?

Tommy's dad just came into the kitchen.

\- Oliver's girlfriend.

\- She's not my girlfriend!

\- Finding a girlfriend the night before leaving for war may not have been a good idea, son. You'll need a clear head if you want to survive out there.

\- What about Tommy? He has a loving girlfriend waiting for him here. Laurel said kissing Tommy on the cheek.

\- Tommy's head has always been pretty empty so he should not be in any danger, he said before pouring himself some coffee.

Tommy and his father always had a very complicated relationship. Oliver's parents always put a lot of pressure on him to be perfect because they had high hopes for him since the day he was born. But Malcolm acted as if he never had any hopes about his son's future. And after his wife died, and it was just the two of them, it was as if Tommy didn't even exist anymore. But Tommy had Oliver and now he had Laurel. Oliver knew that the army thing was an other hopeless way for Tommy to show his dad he was worth his love. That he was worth of his name, Major Malcolm Merlyn. Even if Malcolm was now retire from the force, he still had a huge influence and an even bigger ego.

\- I have to go to the office now. You boys be safe. Tommy, try your best not to get anybody kill and Oliver please watch his back out there.

That was all Tommy would get as a goodbye from his dad. The three of them sat in silence for a while after he left. Malcolm always had this effect on a room, he would emty it from all joy and happiness, like a Dementor according to Thea even if Oliver had no idea what a Dementor was.

\- I'll get ready, Tommy said before leaving the room.

\- How can he treat him like that, I'll never understand, Laurel said once Tommy had left the room.

\- Malcolm is an asshole, there is not much to understand here, Oliver said. I should finish packing my bag.

\- Before you leave, I need to ask you for a favor, Laurel said.

He sat back iwaiting for her to talk. He didn't like being alone with her for too long cause she would always look at him in a way that she wasn't supposed to, like she used to when they were together. She looked very stressed not sure of the words to say. She was playing with her hair, that was a bad sign. Oliver used to think he was in love with her, but not anymore, not now that he met Felicity.

\- Laurel? Please, just ask.

\- I need you to promise me you'll bring him back to me.

\- Laurel ...

\- Please, Oliver, just promise me.

\- I ... I don't …

\- I'm pregnant, Ollie. He doesn't know, and I won't tell him yet. And you can't. But you have to bring him back. Promise me.

Pregnant? Tommy was going to be a father. This changed everything. Both of them growing up with terrible parents, they knew that if they had the chance to be fathers, they'll do it right.

\- I promise, was all he could say.

 

 

 

Felicity woke up and knew instantly that he was gone. She sat and checked her phone. No messages. He didn't just leave without a word. She turned to his side of the bed and saw a piece of paper on the nightstand. She smiled.

_I'm sorry I had to leave. I didn't want to wake you up. You are so beautiful when you're asleep. Last night changed my life and I am so sorry it is all I can give you right now. I know it is unfair to ask you but I would like to see you before I leave. My plane leaves at 1pm. If I don't see you, know that I'll take every second of our night with me wherver I'm going. Love, Oliver._

She checked her alarm. It was already 10 am.

 

No sign of her. What did he think? That she would run here to say goodbye. They've known each other for less than 12 hours, he couldn't ask her that.

\- You guys are sure you have everything?

\- We're going to war, Laurel, we don't really need much.

\- So what's your itinary?

\- We'll join the rest of the team in Whashington. John Diggle is our team commander. That's all we know so far, Oliver explained to her for the hundredth time.

\- You're sure you don't want me to call your mom? At least your sister? Laurel asked again for the hundreth time.

\- I'm sure.

\- But Ollie, they won't even know you're gone.

\- It's better this way.

\- Hum, Oliver? You said that your girl, Felicity, was blonde, right?

\- Yes.

\- You said she like wearing colored dress?

\- Yes, why?

\- She wears glasses too, right?

\- Yes. Why are you asking me that?

\- Cause I think she is here.

Oliver turned around and saw Felicity walking towards him. She was wearing a beautfiul green dress and black high heels, her hair were tied in a high ponytail. She was also wearing red lipstick. Her blue eyes looking straight at him, she looked so beautiful and so mad. Wait, she looked really mad.

\- A note? Really? You didn't even give me your flight number or your destination! You're so lucky I'm very smart, Mister! She yelled punching his chest.

\- I already love her, said Tommy laughing.

\- Shut up, Tommy. I'm sorry, Oliver said. I can be pretty stupid sometimes.

\- Don't apologize! Just never do this again!

\- I won't, I promise.

\- Good.

They looked at each other in silence for a moment.

\- Hi! I'm Tommy and this is Laurel. Tommy said shaking her hand.

\- Hi, nice to meet you. Sorry about the yelling.

\- Never apologize for yelling at Ollie. I'd even pay to see that again, Laure said laughing.

\- Okay, we'll give you some privacy.

Tommy and Laurel walked closer to the gate to say their goodbyes.

\- I don't know what to say, Olliver started. I didn't think you would come.

\- I hate goodbyes but I had to come.

\- Why?

\- You don't remember what you said to me just before you fell asleep last night?

He didn"t answer. Of course he remembered. He told her he loved her. He just hadn't been able to hold it. It slipped out of his mouth right before he fell asleep. He was feeling so safe with her in his arms that he let his heart spoke words he never said to a woman before.

\- Never?

\- Never. But I know it is way too soon. I mean, we barely know each other ...

\- Too soon? 12 hours ago I din't even know your name! Of course it is too early to say those words. You're lucky I don't scare easily.

\- So I didn't scare you off?

\- I wouldn't be here if I was scared.

\- I'm so happy you're here.

\- Me too. So what happens now?

\- We have to be in DC tonight to meet with our team and get our orders. Then we'll have a few weeks of training before leaving.

\- Will you be able to write me?

\- I'll write as much as I can. And as long as I am in the US I'll be able to call and text.

\- Good. I want to hear your voice and see your pretty face, she said stroking his cheek.

He leaned against her touch, closing his eyes.

\- Oliver, she whispered.

He opened his eyes and saw the tears in her eyes.

\- Felicity.

He leaned towards her, slowly closing the space between them. He stopped just inches from her lips, waiting for her to make the last move like he needed reinsurance that she wanted to kiss him as much as he wanted to kiss her. She closed the gap and their lips touched. It was the sweetest and hardest kiss Felicity ever experienced. It tasted like love and lost.

\- I will be waiting for you to come home, she said her eyes still closed, her lips still on his.

They parted and he pressed his lips on her forehead before he joined Tommy. Felicity watched him as long as she could until his she couldn't see his silhouette anymore. He was gone. And she missed him so much already.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver meet up with his team and his captain John Diggle.  
> Felicity keeps herself busy and do her best not to think about Oliver with the help of her friend Curtis.

The plane was the very worse. He hated that he couldn't text her or email her or call her and hear her sweet voice. He had left her for just a few minutes when he sat down on his seat between Tommy and the window. He could still see the airport's long windows. Just a few minutes ago he was there with her, holding her in his arms, smelling her vanilla perfume, touching her face, kissing her lips. And now she was gone. And he missed her like he had never missed anyone or anything before. He could feel an aching pain growing inside his stomach and somehow he knew he would carry that pain until the next time he would hold her in his arms and feel her heart beating against his.

\- Dude, you've got it bad.

\- What? He said coming out of his revelry.

\- I've been talking to you for the past 5 minutes and you didn't even hear me.

\- Sorry. I was just ...

\- Thinking about her. Oliver sighed turning back to the window.

Was it what being in love felt like? Well now he was sure he had never been in love before.

\- She's beautiful, man. I always thought you were more into brunettes but she is a beauty.

\- Yes, she is.

\- You never told me exactly what happened between you two last night?

\- Nothing. - Yeah, what I saw back there was definetly not nothing, Ollie.

\- We didn't sleep together. I mean, we did. Technically? Sleep together. Next to each other or more like holding each other. But we just slept. No sex.

\- Since when do you babble? And since when do you just “sleep” next to her a girl?

\- Well this is different. She is different.

\- She sure seems different. You never fell for the smart one before. Or is it that the smart one never fall for you.

\- Well let's hope she never finds out how stupid I am and how better she could do, Oliver said.

The plane started moving and Oliver watched the airport and his Felicity that he couldn't see disappear as the plane got higher and higher.

War didn't scare him. He trained hard for months before being selected to be part of a special team alongside with Tommy even if he knew Malcolm probably had something to do with it. He met the team during his training and liked most of them especially the team leader, John Diggle. Oliver had joined the army just a few weeks after the incident that broke his relationship with his family. Tommy had been talking about enrolling for a while and Oliver decided that this was the only way he could ever get a chance at redemming himself to his family. So he joined and met Diggle during his first day of training. The man put him and everyone else through hell but he was harder on Oliver. He would make him endure more than any other recruits. And Oliver would not break. He would even go further than what Diggle asked of him. After training, the team was given a few weeks off before they would be called for a special mission so they all went back home to enjoy some family time. And now they were ready to train and then to fight alongside their teamates.

Oliver and Tommy went straight to the base after landing. It was only a 25 minutes drive from the airport. Once they were on site, they had to go through a few administrative things before they were finally able to sit down on their beds. As usual, Oliver choose a bed close to a window and Tommy put his bags on the one right next to him. They were the first here. After Diggle of course that entered just a few minutes after them.

\- How are you doing Mister Queen?

Diggle knew a lot about Oliver's past and about his name. So he liked to tease him about being rich, calling him like his father, outside the field of ocurse. During training, he was just Oliver or sometimes Diggle would find cute little names like stupid or idiot. One time, he even called him Chatty Cathy for two weeks after he was caught talking to one of his teamate instead of listening the orders Diggle was giving.

\- We're good.

\- And how is your girl, Tommy? Lauren?

\- Laurel. She's good but still hates you for taking me away, he said shaking hands with John.

\- Oliver, it's good to see you.

\- Good to see you too, John. They shaked hands but when Oliver tried to take back his hand, Diggle tightened his grip on it.

\- Something happened to your face, he looked at him closer. You look ... Happy.

\- He met a girl, Tommy said.

\- Who met a gril? Rene Ramirez asked entering the room and throwing his bag on the first bed he could aim.

\- Oliver, Tommy answered.

\- Oliver met a girl? A real one? Floyd Lawton entered with Shado and Slade WIlson behind him.

\- Yes a real one, and a pretty smart one, Tommy added.

\- Tommy? Oliver called calmly.

\- Yes?

\- Shut up.

\- Okay, enough with Oliver's love life. Get ready to run in twenty minutes! Diggle said before turning to Oliver. We'll talk about this later, he said leaving his team get ready.

Oliver didn't have a minute to himsel since he arrived this morning. He barely had a chance to text Felicity to let her know he arrived safely to DC. She texted him back in a second.

_Good. Is it okay to miss you already?_  

He couldn't help but smile. _Y_

_es. I missed you from the moment I left you._

_Stop being so cute, Queen._  

_Stop being so perfect, Smoak._

Now, he was out of the shower and getting ready for a quick drink with the team. Diggle insisted that they would go out together on their first night cause until they leave for the mission, none of them would get out of this base. So this was ther last chance to get really drunk but also to catch up and bond even more. Oliver didn't want to go out wich was weird for him considering his past. But tonight, all he wanted to do was talk to her.

\- So tell me all about her, Diggle said.

They had been at the bar for an hour now and everyone was already pretty drunk but him and Diggle. Shado was dancing with Slade and Tommy on the dancefloor while Rene and Floyd were hitting on some girls on the other side of the stool.

\- She is perfect, Oliver said.

\- Okay. Care to elaborate?

\- She is so smart, John. And so beautiful and kind and sweet. I don't get why she wants to be with me. But she does and I feel like the luckiest man on this planet.

\- You've got it good my firend, John said.

\- I know. And I don't know what to do. I want her so bad, I want to be with her so bad but I'm scared I'll hurt her some way or that once she sees what kind o fman I am she'll leave me running.

\- You mean, the kind of man you used to be? Oliver sighed. Oliver, you have to stop beating yourself up about your past. You were stupid and young and you made a mistake. You asked for forgiveness and more importantly, you changed and became a better person. And you have to give Felicity a chance to know that man and love him.

\- When did you get to become such a wise man, John?

\- When I let Lyla know me and love me for who I was and not who I used to be.

\- You never talk about your wife.

\- She is perfect.

\- Care to elaborate? Oliver said laughing.

\- Not really, she is my wife, the mother of my child and I wouldn't be the man I am today if it wasn't for her. She is the strongest person I know. And I love her. Is that enough elaboration?

\- Yes, Oliver said surprised by te image that just popped into his mind, Felicity holding a baby, their baby. Is it okay if I leave now?

\- No problem, I'll make sure these idiots get back safely.

It was too late to call. But not to write. Oliver hadn't write to someone since he was 12 and wrote his last letter to Santa Claus asking him to bring him a new mom and dad that would love him more. His mom found the letter and got so mad she grounded him for Christmas. He remembered sitting on his bed crying and Thea would come in her pajamas with chocolate cake wrapped into her blanket. - Let's have our own christmas, she said. And they did. They watched The Grinch and fell asleep in each others arms right on the floor. It is still his best christmas memory.

_Felicity,_

_Just as I was sitting down to write to you, I realised that I haven't write to anyone since I was 12. I wrote to a very special person back then too, you may even know him, people call him Santa. I didn't really believed in him anymore but I thought that if he was real, he was the only one who could help me. My family was never religious and God was something I never really understood so he was my only hope. I wrote to him and asked only for one thing. I asked him to send me a new mom and dad. I know it may sound horrible but all I wanted was a mother and a father that would hug me when I was scared, would read me stories every night and would love me for who I was. But my mom found the letter and I was grounded for weeks and she even canceled Christmas for me. I was in my room while they were having their annual big Christmas party downstairs, exchanging gifts with strangers. But my little sister Thea came up to my room in her pajamas, she was only 6 back then and was supposed to be asleep by then but she sneaked out of bed. She came baring gifts. She stole some chocolate cake from the party buffet and hide it under her security blanket. We sat on the floor and watched The Grinch. She loved this movie and it's still her favorite Christmas movie. We ended up falling asleep right ont he floor, in each others arms. And it is still my favorite Christmas memory, probably my only one._

_But here I am today, writing to you not to ask for anything but just to tell you that even if all of this is pretty sudden and new, and the situation is complicated, I am in. I am so in. I want to be with you, I want you in my life. I can't imagine my life without you in it and I can't wait to build something amazing with you. I hope I'm not scaring you. And I hope you want this as much as I do. Our night together is still so vivid in my mind. I can't stop thinking about you, your skin, your perfume, your beautiful eyes looking at me like I am worthy of you. You don't know much about my past and I hope that someday you'll know everything and still look at me the way you did that night._

_I miss you, your Oliver._

 

 

The day after he left, Felicity woke up with a weird feeling in her stomach. She missed him. She had not miss someone in a very long time. Not like that. Of course she misses her mom, and Barry everyday but this was very different. But she got up, took a shower, her usual coffee with milk and two sugar then went to work. She spend her day drawning herself into work. Had lunch with her friend and coworker Curtis in her office then back to work until very late. Then she came home so tired that she fell asleep on her couch. She had a hard time sleeping in her own bed, it still smelled of him and it was hard.

The next few days went by the same way. The only part of the day she loved was in the evening, right before she left work, he would send her a text. Then they would text for a little while, he couldn't call, he only had a few moments of free time everyday but never alone and he was spending them texting her. Yesterday, he had told her that he was exhausted, despite what she thought it wasn't because of the training but because he had a hard time falling asleep every night. He didn't say why but he didn't need to cause she knew too well why. Every night, Felicity would lie in bed for hours, incapable of sleeping cause all she could think about was him. Oliver, lying next to her, touching her, kissing her. So she always ended up on her couch, watching reruns of Doctor Who in front of which she managed to fall asleep for a few hours before she had to go to work.

\- I love you, girl but hell you look awful!

One thing she loved about Curtis was his inability to tell a lie. He would always be very honest even when it was hard to hear, he always tell the truth.

\- I love you too, Curtis, and thank you for noticing.

She was looking like hell. Not sleeping more than a couple hours on her couch started to reflect on her face. It felt a lot like college.

\- Felicity, you need to sleep.

\- I know.

\- Anything I can do to help?

\- Can you bring him back to me? she asked half smiling, a sad look on her face.

\- I wish I could, sweetheart. What about I sleep over tonight?

\- What would your husband say about you sleeping in a woman's bed?

\- Hum, first he is out of town for a couple days, so who cares and second, I am so gay!

They laughed and Felicity realised that she had not laugh in a long time and it felt good. Spending her friday night with Curtis could be exactly what she needed.

\- Okay!

\- Really? Yes! Sleepover!!!

\- Who's having a sleepover?

Felicity froze recognizing this voice immediately. She felt a shiver running down her spine. She turned around with the biggest fake smile she could manage.

\- Mr Palmer. Good morning.

\- Felicity, I've told you a hundred times to call me Ray.

\- And I told you a hundred times that I am not confortable calling my boss by his first name.

\- I call you by yours!

\- Well you never asked my permission to do so and frankly I am not confortable with that either.

\- Oh, you're so funny! So who's having a sleepover?

Curtis and Felicity exchanged a look. The usual look they shared whenever Ray Palmer was here.

\- My husband is out of town and I am feeling pretty lonely so Miss Smoak offered me to stay at her place tonight.

\- How nice of you, Felicity. I can feel pretty lonely too sometimes, you know, he said.

She hated the sound of her name in his mouth. He would take his time saying it like he was playing with it, it made her ... Uncomfortable.

\- Mr Palmer?

His assistant interrupted telling him his first meeting of the day had arrived.

\- If you'll excuse me, he said before leaving.

\- God I don't know why but this guy gives me the creeps! Curtis said once he was out of ears.

\- Me too! she said going back to her desk trying not to think about Palmer.

Since the first day he took over the company, he had been on her back, always making sure they crossed path. He would always stop by her office at least once a day just to check up on her. He would make sure that they had to work together as much as possible. And he would always make sure that they would sit next to each other on every meeting. She hated that.

 

\- Hey Roomie!

Curtis showed up at her door before eight. She had not be home for more than 5 minutes and didn't had time to clean and let's say the place needed cleaning.

\- Okay, don't take it the wrong way but ...

\- I know, I just had not been home a lot lately so ...

\- Okay, what about you go take a shower and I clean a bit.

\- Curtis! You are my guest, you can't clean my appartment.

\- Says who? Listen, I know you're in a bad place right now and I think you need a little help from your bestfriend, ME! So go take a long hot shower then we'll order pizza and watch some Doctor Who!

\- I love you so much right now, she said hugging him.

She knew how lucky she was to have found a friend like him even if he was the one that found her. Felcity had been working at Palmer Consolidated for a few months when Curtis got hired. He sat at the cubicle next to hers and offered her some M&Ms and their friendship was born. I mean not really. Back then, Felicity was just an IT girl in a big company, only responding to call from the big suits to unfroze their computer. But very soon, she was seen for what she was, really good.

Curtis knew how good she was from day one because genuises recognize their own kind. At least that's what he told her back then. She was not very good at social things, she was always unsure on what to do or what to say. Most of the time, when she had to talk, she was just babbling praying for someone to make her stop talking. But Curtis was kind of like her, so it was easy to talk to him even if she wasn't looking for a friend as she told him. When she said that, he just looked at her and said "Girl, you still have no idea that I'll soon be your bestfriend." And he was right. All her friends lived in Central City, she was all alone here. She had needed Curtis and didn't even knew it. And now she needed him again, once more he was there for her.

She was putting her pajamas on when she remembered she didn't check her email all day. She sat at her computer and did so. Lots of emails from Palmer about work and some about nothing professional. She was thinking that at some point she will have to do something about him when her eyes came across a name that made her heart stop. He wrote. She opened it and read.

_I am in. I am so in._ She couldn't believe it. _I want to be with you, I want you in my life. I can't imagine my life without you in it and I can't wait to build something amazing with you._ The words she had wanted to tell him but couldn't. _I hope I'm not scaring you._ Of course she was scared. This was insane and so not like her. _And I hope you want this as much as I do._ She wanted this more than she ever wanted anything in her life. _Our night together is still so vivid in my mind. I can't stop thinking about you, your skin, your perfume, your beautiful eyes looking at me like I am worthy of you._ Was it getting hot in here? _You don't know much about my past and I hope that someday you'll know everything and still look at me the way you did that night._ Again this fear about his past. _I miss you, your Oliver._ Your Oliver. She loved the sound of that.

\- OMG! This is so cute!

Felicity jumped and screamed a little hearing her friend's voice. He was standing behind her and had read the email.

\- Curtis! This is private!

\- Oh! I dind't read it, I just saw the last few words.

\- Really?

\- I would never do that. But now you have to tell me e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g about _your Oliver_!

 

 

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it has been a long time since the last chapter but work is kind of crazy! I have 2 weeks left than I promise I'll try to post a new chapter every week.   
> Please feel free to leave a note and kudos, it gives me the strength to keep writing this story!

Explaining everything to Curtis was harder than Felicity thought. How do you explain something you don't quite understand yourself? But Curtis knew her well enough to see that whatever was going on between her and Oliver, it was different and meant a lot to her. So he didn't push. He didn't judge or ask too many questions. They watched TV for a while eating pizza then went to bed. And as usual, Felicity had a hard time sleeping. So she decided to text Oliver hoping he had a hard time sleeping too.

 

**_Felicity : Can't sleep. Thinking about you._ **

 

His answer was almost immediat like he was waiting for her text.

 

**_Oliver : Can't sleep either. Hoping you were with me._ **

 

She couldn't help the big smile that had formed on her face.

 

**_Felicity : My pillows don't smell like you anymore. I hate them. You should be asleep._ **

 

**_Oliver : You should sleep too._ **

 

**_Felicity : Good night, Oliver._ **

 

**_Oliver : Good night Felicity._ **

 

She dreamt of him that night. He was standing in her kitchen, cooking her an omelette. She walked in without a noise and took her time to look at him. He was only wearing a pyjama bottom. His back muscles were relaxed and he was humming a song she didn't recognize.

 

“Good morning, my love,” he said without turning over.

 

“How? “ she said surprised because she made sure she didn't make any noise.

 

“I'm a ninja,” he said turning to her, smiling the pan in his hand. “Are you hungry?”

 

“Yes,” she said filling the space between them and posing her hands on his hard chest. “But not for omelette.”

 

He smiled before bending over to kiss her, stopping just inches from her lips to let her make the last move. She tilted her chin up closing the space between their lips feeling his breath on her face.

 

Her alarm went off.

 

“FRACK!”

 

But she realised it was not her alarm. Her phone was ringing. She was about to yell at whoever was waking her up at 5 in the morning when she saw the caller ID. _Oliver_. She sitted on her bed, cleared her throat and took a deep breath.

 

“Good morning,” she said trying not to sound too happy.

 

“Good morning, Felicity. Did I wake you? I'm sorry I didn't see the time. I can call back ...”

 

“No!” she shouted. “It's okay. How is everything?”

 

“Everything is fine. The training is crazy but I'm used to it.”

 

“Do you know how long before ...”

 

She couldn't say the words. Before you leave for hell. Before you leave and maybe never return. Before you leave and die. No she couldn't think like that.

 

“Probably a few weeks according to Diggle. What about you?”

 

“I'm okay.”

 

“Did you get my email?”

 

“Yes.” she said thinking of his words and surprised once again at the smile on her face. “I loved every word. I'll try to write to you tonight.”

 

“You don't have to.” he said like he thought she didn't want to.Where did that come from? Did she do or say something that might have make him think she didn't want to write to him, to be with him? Or did he just need to make sure she didn't feel obligated to.

 

“I know. But I want to.” she said firmly.

 

“Good.” he whispered so low she almost missed it. “I can't wait.”

 

She heard a voice on the background calling for him.

 

“I got to go, Felicity. I'm sorry I wish I could talk more.”

 

“It's okay.”

 

“I miss you.”

 

“I miss you too.”

 

“I LOOOOVE YOU FELICTY!” she heard a voice she didn't recognize scream.

 

“Shut up Rene! Sorry. Some of my team mates are stupid.” She laughed.

 

“It's okay. Talk to you soon?”

 

“Yes. Bye.”

 

“Bye.”

 

“...”

 

“You're still there?”

 

“Yes. I thought you had to go.”

 

“I do. But I don't want to.”

 

Good cause she didn't want him to go either. She wanted to hear his voice just for one more minnute, she wanted to listen to his breathing just for a few seconds.

 

“How is the training?” she asked needing him to talk.

 

“Hard but that's good.”

 

“Your captain isn't too hard on you I hope.”

 

“Of course he is. But he is the best man I know. There is no one I'd rather fight alongside with than John Diggle.”

 

“Good. I already love the guy.” If this Diggle was making sure her Oliver came back to her unharmed, she worshipped the man.

 

“I have to go now.”

 

“Okay.” she said still not wanting to end the call.

 

“...”

 

“...”

 

“Still there?” she said giggling at how stupid this was.

 

“Yes.” he sighed but she could hear him smile.

 

_Ollie, man! Let's go! Wait! Who are you talking to?_

 

_His girlfriend._

 

_Oh man!_

 

_Tommy don't you dare ..._

 

Felicity heard the sound of a struggle.

 

“Felicity my love, Ollie has to go cause if we're not out there in the next 30 seconds we'll all have our ass kicked by the captain. Sorry beauty but Ollie loves you very much and he misses you. Bye.”

 

Then Tommy hung up. Okay that was rude. I mean she get it, they were on a hurry but still. Rude!

 

A few seconds later he texted her

 

**_Oliver :_ S _orry Tommy is a jackass. Miss U._**

 

And he was gone again. She lie down for a while waiting for her alarm. She heard Curtis wake up and take a shower but she didn't want to move. She didn't want to do anything except jump on a plane to be with Oliver. She wanted to leave everything behind, her job, her friends, her home just so she could see his face, look into his blue eyes and hold him for just a moment. What was happening to her? Her alarm finally went off and it took her a lot of strength and the smell of fresh coffee to finally get out of bed.

 

* * *

 

An other day went by with meetings during wich she had to sit right next to Palmer and she hated every second of it. The way he looked at her when she was talking and even when she wasn't. The way he always managed to put his hands on her shoulders while talking about her excellent work. Felicity knew this man was a genius but still she hated the way he was with her and knew she would have to say something very soon. A part of her knew the way she felt wasn't not okay but an other part thought that maybe she was exagerrating, maybe Ray Palmer was just like that with everyone.

 

She was back at her office when her phone rang. She jumped thinking it could be Oliver again but her mother's face on her screen indicated her otherwise.

 

“Hello Mom.” she said lying back on her chair knowing a call from her mom could last a long time.

 

“My baby! How are you?” God, Felicity hated being called baby, the sound of this word said by anytbody just made her stomack turn.

 

“Good Mom. How are you?”

 

“Perfect.”

 

“How is Henry?”

 

“Great too! He says hi. Look we were wondering if you'd be home for Hanukkah this year?”

 

“No, I've already told Barry I won't make it this year but I'll have a few days off for Christmas.”

 

“That's too bad. We wanted to do a big thing this year.”

 

“I know Mom but I can't take that much vacation. We're working on a very important project.”

 

“Aren't you always?”

 

“Mom!”

 

When it came to her work, her mom was very proud of her but didn't understand a thing about it. She had never been an accademic and didn't know anything about science or computer. Her father was the genius. It was pretty much the only thing she remembered about him. He spend hours eyes on his screens not even looking up to watchher even if she would have made him a drawing. The first time he really looked at her was when she reassembled one of his old computer when she was 5. After that, he took some interest in her as long as she was interested in his computers.

 

“Okay. Christmas it is, then. Henry is calling, we're going out for lunch.”

 

“Okay. Bye.”

 

Christmas. She was always going home fro Christmas but right now all she could think about was where Oliver would be on Christmas. Do they have Christmas break in the army? If he was deployed before Christmas he wouldn't be back she was pretty sure of that. Christmas with Oliver. She was thinking about Christmas with Oliver, back in Central City with her family. Okay she was going too far. Only one of her boyfriend had ever meet her family and seeing how this ended, she never did it again. But this was different. Oliver was different.

 

“Lunch? My treat?” Curtis' face appeared above her cubicle. She smiled at him, got up and took her purse. She needed a break.

 

 

 

Curtis and Felicity were almost done with lunch. They have mainly been talking about their new project, a chip capable of replacing damaged nerves but also about Curtis' husband that was coming back home the same night. Felicity excused herself and left for the ladys room. On her way back to their table she heard something that had her froze.

 

"Mrs Queen, it's been so long!"

 

She turned around and saw a woman, around 50, blond hair and beautiful blue eyes, his eyes. She was wearing a dark blue skirt and a black blazer. She smiled at the man talking to her but her smile looked broken. Felicity couldn't help but stare. And even if Mrs Queen didn't notice, the young brunette next to her did. She placed herself in front of the woman and made sure Felicity knew that she was seeing her. Felicity's cheeks turned red and she almost ran to the table ashamed of herself. The young girl was still looking at her and as she looked up for just a moment, Felicity saw her bright green eyes looking right at her like in defiance.

 

“Ready?” Curtis asked getting up.

 

“Yes, please, let's go,” she said getting up very fast.

 

They were waiting for their car outside when Curtis phone rang, it was Paul. That was going to be long but it was okay cause the line to get the car looked pretty long anyway.

 

“Who are you?”

 

Felicity turned around, not sure if the voice was talking to her but when she saw the little brunette she had no doubt.

 

“Excuse me?” was all she could say.

 

“Who are you? Why were you staring at my mum like that? Are you a creep?”

 

“What? No! I just … She is Mrs Queen. So you must be … Thea.”

 

“So you're a creep,” she said turning around ready to call on the two bodyguard I could see next to a black limo.

 

“I know your borther,” Felicity said. Thea turned around and took a step closer to Felicity.

 

“Ollie? You know Ollie,” she said coming closer.

 

She looked at her with curiosity and surprise.

 

“You're not my borther type but sleeping with Ollie doesn't mean you know him. If that was the case, half this city would know him.” What?! Half the city?

 

“I'm not ... I don't ... I just mean, we're ... Friends.”

 

Friends? Really? Who would believe that?

 

“Friends?” She didn't believe that for a second.

 

“I'm sorry I didn't mean to stare. I just heard your mother's name, and then I saw her eyes ... His eyes.”

 

Okay she needed to stop herself right now. Her cheeks were probably turning red. Thea looked at her for a second and smiled.

 

“Friends, right.”

 

Felicity felt her cheeks go even more red. How could she make people believe Oliver and her were just friends. Just saying his name made her feel weak.

 

“He talked to me about you, Thea.”

 

“He did?”

 

“Thea! Darling, we have to go.” Her mother called from the limo.

 

“I have to go but tell my idiot of a brother to call me ASAP!”

 

She hugged Felicity really quick and disappeared. She had just met Thea. She needed to tell Oliver.

 

 

She thought about it all day not knowing what to say. She met his sister. And she saw his mother. She already loved Thea but was really scared of his mom. She couldn't explain why but there was something about her that made Felicity's body stiffen. Moira Queen's face had seemed so cold and hard which contrasted with the purity of the blue of her eyes. His eyes. Her mother always told her that the eyes were the soul's mirror, she said you could know if a person was kind and trustful just by looking into their eyes. She said that her father's eyes were as dark as his soul and that she sould have trusted them more than she had trust his heart. But those blue eyes were probably what had most disturbed her. She saw his eyes but instead of the tenderness she had read in his, she could feel the coldness of hers. When Oliver was still the hot coffee guy, it was his eyes and the depth of his look that had made her miss a heartbeat.

 

It was almost 6 pm when she finally decided to call it a day. She haven't watch her phone all afternoon and she had 2 unread messages.

 

**_Oliver : Is it still okay to miss you?_ **

 

She couldn't help but smile at his cheesiness.

 

**_Ray Palmer : Stop by my office before you leave._ **

 

Her heart sqeezed in her chest.

 

She took her purse and headed for the 60th floor. She had not been in Ray's office that many times. He was the one always coming to her. She stepped out of the elevator and was greeted by Angela, his assistant. A beautiful woman that was always smiling.

 

"He's waiting for you, she said, gesturing to the glass doors on her left."

 

Felicity smiled back trying to ignore the knot in her stomach. There was something odd about this guy, she knew it but still couldn't figure out what. And that was probably what made her feel so bad, she hated mysteries.

 

Ray was sitting on the sofa next to the huge glass windows going through some files. He looked so serious. She knew he was good at his job, I mean, you don't become CEO of a multi billion dollar company before thirty without being good at your job. He was a brilliant man, probably smarter than her and that said a lot. She used to read articles about him, about his work and think she would be so lucky to work with someone like him. And now that she was, she realised that the hero she thought he was, was just a man. She hesitated for a split second not knowing if she should be knocking.

 

He raised his head and saw her. His eyes changed and he smiled to her gesturing her to come in. She pushed the door taking a deep breath in.

 

"Felicity, thank you for stopping by."

 

"Of course. When your boss ask you to come in to his office you just do it." she said trying not to look at him too much.

 

The way he looked at her made her feel so unconfortable.

 

"I was going through your research on the nerve chip."

 

"I'm working with Curtis Holt on that one."

 

"Curtis, of course. Well I'm very impressed."

 

"Thank you."

 

She was standing close to the door and he was still stiting on the sofa which seemed odd.

 

"Please take a seat, he said."

 

She hesitated but finally sat on a chair on the other side of the side table.

 

"So the chip ..."

 

And to her surprise he didn't make a move to get closer to her or to made physical contact, they started talking about the project and he wanted her to break it down for him, not just the tech but the programing and every side of their work. She did her best wishing Curtis was here but she thought she managed to sell it pretty well.

 

"Well, this is an amazing work. And I want to help you two see it through."

 

Oh no! There was no way she would be able to work in a lab next to this man every day. If that was what he had in mind, she would quit.

 

"I want to give you everything you need to take the next step."

 

"What do you mean, everything?"

 

"Equipment, lab, people and more importantly, money."

 

Felicity's jaw dropped open. It susually took more than a year just to get your idea approuved by the board then probably an other one before you could actually start working on the thing. So she didn't understand.

 

"Why?"

 

"I told you, Miss Smoak, I believe in this project. Now, I'll let you get home and rest, I'll be waiting for your list of demands and needs then it will take me a few days to set everyhting but you'll probably have everything ready on Monday."

 

Felicity couldn't believe what had just happened. This was a dream come true. Ray shook her hand smiling at her and left her leave without any other word. She called Curtis and he was screaming on the phone for a very long time.

 

"We have to celebrate, Felicity. Like right now!!! Paul is cooking dinner, come and join we'll open some champagne."

 

"I don't want to crash your date with your husband."

 

"Don't worry about that, after all you are my work wife so you deserve a place at our table."

 

She laughed at his remark.

 

"I'll be there in 20."

 

The dinner went very well as usual, Curtis was one of the few people she felt she coudl be herself with. SHe didn't need to put her walls up, she could let him in. And watching him and Paul together made her heart ache. And her mind couldn't stop going to Oliver. She could imagine him cooking them dinner and talk about their days. She could feel his eyes on her as he listened to her and struck her hand on the table. She could see herself happy having that kind of life.

 

 

 

_**Felicity : Can I call you?** _

 

She waited just a few seconds before he replied.

 

**_Oliver : Yes._ **

 

He answered at the first ring.

 

"Is eveything okay?"

 

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

 

"Felicity, it's 3 in the morning."

 

"Oh, sorry, I didn't see the time. Do you want me to hung up?"

 

"No!" he cut her."Never."

 

She smiled.

 

"So what is going on?"

 

"I just wanted to hear your voice ...” Was it okay to say that? “And share some good news."

 

"Good news?"

 

"I have been working on a new project with my friend Curtis and my boss just decided he was going to found the all thing!"

 

"That's a very good news Felicity. What is the project?"

 

"We are trying to create a nerve chip, basically it is supposed to replace damages nerves so people suffering from spine injuries for example could walk again."

 

"Wow, you are remarkable Felicity."

 

"Thank you for remarking on it,” she said smiling.

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A glimpse at Oliver and Diggle relationship. Felicity write to Oliver and tell him about his mother and sister. Also some phone sex. Enjoy!

The scene is always the same. Oliver is back at his parents mansion. The place he had always felt so cold. There is so many people there, it's a big party like he used to throw all the time. Once upon a time, he knew how to party like nobody else. Oliver is drinking and partying with a lot of girls around him when a young man, Roy comes to him.

"Where is she?"

And that's when the panick starts. He can feel it fill his body and his mind. He can feel the pain rise from his guts and lodge itself in his throat. He doesn't know where she is. She said she'd stay close to him but she was not there anymore. He scaned the room pretty quick but she wasn't anywhere to be seen. He lost her. He screamed her name and asked everyone if they've seen her. Someone pointed to the stairs. He ran ustairs and started opening every door but she was not behind any. And that's when he heard her scream. This sound pierced his heart and he felt an anger and a violence grow inside him like never before. He ran to the door where the sound came from. It was locked and he couldn't open it. She was screaming his name but no matter how hard he tried the door was closed and then she was gone. She stopped calling his name and the silence made him fall to his knees and scream for her.

* * *

 

He woke up sweat all over his body. This is why he didn't sleep much. The nightmares will always come back. Always the same even if lately the voice screaming his name sounded slightly different. He looked around the room and saw all of his teamates sleeping some pretty loudly. He wished he could sleep like Tommy did, with a smile on his face, in peace. But he couldn't anymore and he probably didn't deserve to. So he got dress and decided to go for a run.

"An other sleepless night, Mr Queen?"

Diggle was sitting outside the building, his phone on his right hand. He wasn't even looking at him. His eyes were glued to the screen where Oliver could see a beautiful little girl's smile.

"Is that your daughter?"

"Sara." he said a big smile on his face while he was tracing her smile on the screen like he could actually feel his baby's skin under his.

"She' beautiful."

"She is. She gets that from her mother," he said smiling at the thought of his wife.

Diggle always had this look when he talked about Lyla or Sara. This look that made Oliver wish he was him for just a second. He seemed so at peace with his life. Oliver had never had anything inhis life that would have put that kind of look in his eyes. Except now he might have. Now he had a beautiful face to think of, a beautiful name to call. Felicity. Just the thought of her, the thought of her name calmed his heart. Was is it ?

"I'm going for a run," Oliver stated putting his hoodie on his head.

"Mind if I join?" Diggle asked already on his feet.

The two men started running. Oliver discovered that running helped clear his mind during his first training. He would run until he coudn't anymore. Until he didn't feel anything, neither in his body or in his soul. Running made him numb to his own pain, his own fears. He would run for hours sometimes and Diggle was the only one who could make him stop even if he seemed to understand what running meant to Oliver and respected it. But tonight was different, no matter how long he ran, how far, how fast, he couldn't clear his mind or his heart of a beautiful face surrounded by blonde hair. And that scared him.

When Oliver puts his soldier's boots on, he is not Oliver Queen anymore, he is something else, someone else. His mind goes blank, his heart stop feeling anything and his soul goes dark. He is not a man anymore. He is cold, no more humanity in him. He knows how lethal he can be once he becomes this something else. And he likes it. He likes being nothing but a threat. Tommy had pointed out that his blue eyes even go dark when he is in soldier mode. That's probably why Diggle had chosen him, he saw the beast he could be out there.

"Okay, I think that is enough." Diggle had a hard time breathing and put his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath.

Oliver stopped. No matter how long or how hard he would try, he wouldn't clear his mind tonight.

"Wants to grab coffee?" Diggle said pointing to a coffee shop nearby. "And tell me what's really going on here?"

 

 

They had been sitting for a few minutes now, neither of them talking. It wasn't an awkward silence, it was just Diggle letting Oliver time to find the words.

"I don't know how to explain it, Digg." he started. It was hard for him to find the words to express what was in his head and in his heart.

"You're in love." was all that Diggle said, sipping on his coffee looking at him.

"How can it be? I barely know her." Diggle didn"t answer. And they went back to being silent. No matter what Oliver felt, it was crazy to call it love so soon.

Diggle took a deep breath and Oliver knew the lecture was coming. He was used to it by now.

"Not a lecture, man. Just a story. I've never told you how I met Lyla, right?"

"You met during your first tour, right?"

"Yes. She was on her second tour. She had already been to hell and managed to get back from it stronger and she was ready to go back. She was our team leader. It wasn't easy, still isn't for a woman to command a bunch of cavemen that only see her as a piece of meat. You can't imagine the bullshit she had to take. No man in her position would have ever endure that but she did, never complained. And she kept her head high and more importantly she proved to every man on our unit that she could handle anything and be the best leader amongst them." Oliver could hear the pride on his voice talking about his wife. Where most men would have been intimidated by such a strong and fearless woman, Diggle was just proud to be her husband.

"She kept us alive and brought us all back home in one piece. She is a true hero. And I knew that the moment I saw her which is also the moment I fell in love with her. I mean, I know that love at first sight sounds stupid but it was it for us. I fell in love with her the moment I saw her and I knew I would marry her the moment her eyes locked on mine."

Oliver couldn't help smiling. It was exactly what he had felt the first time he had seen Felicity in the coffee shop and it was how he felt every time he saw her.

"But Oliver, falling in love is just the easy part."

"Doesn't sound easy to me," he said, his fingers going through his short hair.

"Believe me, it is. Building a relationship and keeping a marriage alive is the hard part. Being with womeone is a partnership. Lyla is not just my wife or the mother of my child, Oliver. She is my partner, my bestfriend. I trust her more than I trust myself. And we both have to fight everyday to make our partnership work especially with me being away and her work being so dangerous."

"What are you trying to tell me, Digg? That I shouldn't get into it? That I'm not ready?"

"No, Oliver. I think that this is exactly what you need. I don't know your girl but she sounds like a really good person. But I want you to understand what it is you're getting yourself into. What you are committing to. I just want you to be sure this is what you want."

Was it? Was it what he wanted? He had never been the kind of guy to commit into anything. Not into school judging by the dozens that he dropped of. And absolutely not into his relationship. The only real relationship he ever had was with Laurel and when she had been ready to move on to the next level, he ran and did a stupid thing to make her leave him. But this was different. Committing to Felicity didn't scare him. He didn't just want this, he needed this in a way he never needed anything before.

"I'm sure, Digg."

 

* * *

 

 

_My Oliver,_

_It scares me a little how much I love calling you mine. But also how natural it feels on my tongue. My Oliver. Calling you mine is not the only scary thing about you._

_I can't seem to keep you off my mind. Usually when I work, all the world fades away, I don't feel anything anymore, it's me and the code. But lately, even in the depth of coding, I see your face, you beautiful face, I think of your musky scent and I fell your beautiful blue eyes on me. Then I get this burning feeling inside me longing for your touch. And that scares me. But it also comforts me cause I know you're probably thinking of me too._

_My friend Curtis took me to lunch yesterday to change my mind and I saw your mother and your sister. I couldn't take my eyes off your mother, you have her eyes. Your sister, Thea, she came talk to me outside the restaurant, I told her I knew you and she said she was surprised cause I wasn't your type. You'll have some explaining to do, mister. But she hugged me. She didn't know anything about me and she hugged me like we were already friends. I have to tell you I already love her. And she said you need to call her._

_I hope your training is not too hard and the Washington weather not too bad._

_I miss you everyday._

_Love. Your girl._

_Felicity._

 

Oliver checked his email after taking a shower and his heart skipped a beat recognizing Felicity's email. BitchWifWifi. He made a mental note to ask about this name choice. Then he read it. And his heart just melted. She was scared. Not scared of him but of what he made her feel. Join the club.

She was longing for his touch. Good cause he was longing to touch every part of her body. Then he froze when he read the part about his mother. The mother he hadn't talk to in so long. People always told him he had her eyes, and he used to love it. It made him feel more connected to her. Then he hated it cause the more he knew about his parents, the less he wanted to be like them or look like them. But she also saw Thea. She even talked to her. And of course his sister hugged her. She was the kindest and most loving person he knew.

"Ollie, what are you doing?" Oliver closed his laptop before Tommy could see anything. He smiled at Oliver sitting on his bed opposite to his friend.

"So, how is she?" he asked a big smile on his face.

Oliver sighed and gave him a look it was easy to read. "Oh come on Ollie! Give me something here. Details. Some dirt !"

"What do you want me to tell you?" Oliver said his jaw clenching. He didn't like Tommy's tone.

"I want to know what is actually going on with you. I mean, I've never seen you like this and I've seen you with a lot of women over the years. So many it's hard to remember them all, I mean nearly impossible."

Okay he ised to be a manwhore, he knew that, but so was Tommy. He should be the last one to lecture him about his past.

"What's your point, Tommy ?" His eyes locking on his. Tommy looked at him for a moment, not saying anything like he was trying to read something into Oliver's eyes. He must have seen something cause he stopped smiling and he looked at his friend with an intense look.

"Ollie, are you in love with that woman?" Oliver's body tensed at his words, at him calling his Felicity a woman. He suddenly got up on his feet, his sudden move making Tommy jumped.

"Her name is Felicity. And I think I am. Is that a problem?" His hands were closed into a fist along his tensed body.

"Okay, man." Tommy said raising his hand in front of him as a sign of resignation. Oliver's shoulders relaxed a bit, seeing his bestfriend's look. It had been a long time since he got angry. Even if this was nothing compared to what he used to do when he was angry, it was still unfair to Tommy. And he felt bad about it.

"I'm sorry, Tommy. It's just ..."

"Hey, I get it Ollie. You're in love," he said laughing a bit. He got up and put his hand on Oliver's shoulder. "I'm happy for you, man. I just wish you had more time with her."

"So do I."

 

* * *

 

 

**_Thea : Busy?_ **

**_Oliver : Never for you Speedy._ **

**_Thea : U have time to talk?_ **

**_Oliver : Call you in 10._ **

His day was over and he just got a text from his sister. No matter how bad things were between him and their parents, Thea always kept in touch with him. He got out of the shower and found the dorm empty. A note on his bed told him the team was out for some drinks. He put on his boxer and a black t-shirt before sitting on his bed.

"Ollie!" Oliver couldn't help the smile on his face hearing Thea's voice.

"Hey Speedy! Everything okay?"

"Yes! Can't I just call my big brother to chat?"

"Always and you know it!"

"Good. But I have a question for you. Do you, by any chance, know a certain blonde woman?"

"Hum ... Yes. You met Felicity."

"Felicity," Thea repeated, like she was trying to figure out who she was just by saying her name. "I want to know everything!"

"I just met her, Speedy, there is not much to say."

"Are you kidding? You met someone. I mean, this is not just an other hook up. I could feel it when I met her. When she said you two were "friends", like my brother could be friends with a woman without sleeping with her."

"Hey!" he said feeling a little insulted.

"Oh c'mon ollie, you know I love you but you are, I mean were, kind of a man-whore."

"I prefer Casanova or an active bachelor."

"A woman that is sleeping with a more than two men is a whore and a man who sleeps with half the city is a Casanova? Bullshit. Man-whore!"

"Language, Speedy! And if you called to insult me ..." he said laughing.

"No! I called to know more about your girlfiend?" she said, more like a question.

"I told you, Speedy. We just met so it's a little too soon for labels."

"But you'd like for her to be your girlfriend?"

"Speedy!"

"Okay! Sorry. Case closed ... For now. Where are you?"

Oliver froze, not knowing what to say. His sister knew he was into the army but he hadn't told her he was being deployed so soon. He had told her that he probably wouldn't seeing how bad he was at fighting. Of course that was a lie but she got so scared when he told him about his enrollment.

"Ollie?"

"Listen, you don't need to worry and you can't tell them, but I'm in DC."

A long silence followed. Oliver didn't know if he should say something and decided to let her a little time to digest the information.

"You're going there, aren't you?" He oculd feel the fear and the pain in her voice, she was on the verge of crying, he could feel it. It was like he could feel the silent tears running along her cheeks. But he couldn't lie to her, she wasn't a child anymore.

"Yes. I don't know when or where but yes, I'm going there. But Speedy, you don't need to worry about me, trust me. My team is the best team there is on this planet."

She was trying to calm her breathing, restraining her tears.

"Okay. Please be careful, Ollie."

He reassured her as much as he could without promising anything then told her goodbye. He lied back on his bed, surrounded by the silence. Nothing mooved around him. He was alone, all alone and it scared him.

 

 

"I hope I didn't wake you," he said when she answered after just one ring.

"No, I was getting ready for bed. Are you okay?" she said hearing something in his voice she couldn't quite grasp.

"Not really," he answered his jaw clenching, his teeth tightening.

"What can I do to help?" she said not even trying to make him talk, like she knew he couldn't.

"I just wish you were here." He said it in a murmur that woke something inside her. Something she didn't even know was there in the first place.

"Imagin » I was. What would you like me to do?" she said in a voice filled with need and a little bit of lust or maybe a lot of it.

Oliver's eyes flew open and he didn't say anything. Not knowing if she meant what he thought she meant.

"Fe-li-ci-ty?" The way he said her name made her insight burn even more.

"Oliver, tell me what you'd want me to do?" she said her free hand rubbing the back of her neck.

"I'd want you to touch me," he said still unsure about what this was.

"I want to touch you, Oliver. I want to caress the outline of your jaw and then let my fingers explore your neck before my lips kiss the inside of it." She couldn't quite believe she was saying this. But hearing his breathing going faster on the other end of the phone, she knew she was doing it right.

"And? What else?" he said his voice even more husky making her tighs tightened giving some pressure between her legs. She could feel her own pleasure building just hearing him breath on the phone.

"Then I would take time to touch and kiss every part of you body."

"Every part?" he asked teasing.

"E-v-e-r-y part," she said. "Drawing the line of you chest, following your amazing abs, licking and biting yous skin, my hand touching ..." she heard him growl her own free hand rubbing on her breast. Pushing her t-shirt up, she started rubbing and pinching her already hard nipples sending waves of pleasure in her body. Her own breathing getting louder.

"Felicity, are you touching yourself?" she didn't answer. "God, you will be the end of me." he said and it made her smile.

"What about you Oliver? Are you already hard?"

"Baby, I've been hard the minute I heard your voice." he said taking a hold of his length.

"I wish I could feel you hard in my hands." He started puping his cock like he wished she would one day, soon.

"What about you? Are you wet?"

She freed her breast and let her hand get under her panties, checking her wetness. The feeling of her fingers passing on her clit made her moan.

"Felicity, I wish I could taste you."

"I wish I could taste you too," she said imagining licking his full length, sucking hard on his balls then tracing the path to the top with her tongue, playing with it before putting all of it in her mouth.

"Felicity," his husky voice going ever stronger at her words. She could feel him close, very close whilst her finger was rubbing against her clit.

"I would suck and pump you until you cry my name," she said knowing it would get him so close to his release.

"God!" she heard him say. He was close.

"I would let you fill my mouth and I would suck you and love it, tasting your juice on my tongue."

'FELICITY!" he screamed her name and she felt her inside burn.

It took him a few moments to come back to her.

"Baby, let me make you scream too," he said taking control. "Your fingers are playing with your already swollen clit?"

"Yes" she whispered to him still rubbing.

"Good, now I want you to rub it with just your thumb and your index. Just let your fingers play with it," he could hear her breath so loud on the phone. "Now pinch it, just a little bit."

She did and couldn't stop the little scream that came out of her mouth whilst she felt electrcity going straight to her core.

"You like that, babe. Now keep rubbing it with your thumb and let your index finger travel down. Close to your entrance. It must be so wet." he said like he could feel her wetness.

"It is, just for you," she breathed into his ears.

"Now, let your finger slide inside, very slowly;" Her all body ached at the feeling of her finger inside. "Now take it out, slowly. And put it back in. And out. And in." God that felt so good. "Keep your thumb working on your clit, and now, slide one more finger inside." She felt her wall tightened at the penetration of both her fingers. "It feels good, right."

"Oh yes!" was all she could whisper. Her breathing was going out of control and her body was moving, her finger thrusting inside her.

"Now move your finger inside, make them feel your walls beat on your skin. And go faster baby, and faster. And faster."

"OLIVER" she screamed his name just like he screamed hers minutes ago. She came so loud all her neighborhood must have heard her. It took her a few minutes to calm her breathing and be able to talk again.

"That was ..." she started.

"Nothing compared to what I will actually do to you one day." he said making her breath faster.

"Are you feeling better", she said.

"So much better," he said laughing. "Thank you Miss Smoak."

"At your service, Mr Queen."

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to update but I've been in vacation in the french countryside with no wifi. So here are chapter 9 and 10. I hope you enjoy it!

It had been two weeks. Two weeks of daily emails and texts. Two weeks of missing him more and more everyday. Two weeks of hearing his tired voice on the phone. Two weeks of sleepless nights thinking of him. Felicity never knew she could be in so much pain and happiness at the same time. Every time she thought of him, her heartbeat fastened and she felt this pain in her stomach knowing he was so far away and will be put in so much danger soon. But then she would get a text from him and smile. Or he would write to her, telling her about his day or telling her a story about his childhood, always about his sister.

 

Oliver never talked about his parents and Felicity never asked. Just like she never talked about her dad and he never pushed her to. Some nights, she would fall asleep listening to his breathing on the phone and she would wake up with a sweet text from him. But she needed more. She needed him. She needed him to be next to her, she needed him to touch her the way she touched herself thinking of him almost every night. She needed him to kiss her. It was torture not being able to be with him. She couldn't even imagine what it would feel like if they actually had sex before he left. Would she had been craving for his body as much as she did right now or would she have been satisfied with one night not really craving for more ?

 

"Did I wake you?" he asked when she answered her phone, his husky tone filling her stomach with butterflies.

 

Hearing his voice was so intoxicating. She wanted to feel his breath on her skin whilst he would whisper in her ear. Thinking of it made her legs shake and she sat on her bed. She had not been able to sleep as usual. She had been waiting for his call and it made her laugh at herself. She had never been the silly girl waiting by the phone for a guy to call her. She had always been the strong, independant girl not caring if someone called mainly because she was too busy building a computer or coding to think about it. But here she was, waiting for a guy to call her and it was a pretty funny situation. But hearing his voice, she forgot all about the funny situation and could feel her ear burn by the sound of his tone.

 

"No." she whispered trying to control her feelings.

 

"Are you okay?" Oliver asked sensing her internal fight.

 

"Yes. Hum, I'm okay, just tired I guess. It's been a long day." More like a long week, or two long weeks.

 

As promised, Ray Palmer had settled her and Curtis in a brand new lab with all the tech, equipment and personnel they asked for. So they had been working non stop on their chip not counting the hours, especially her. Loosing herself in her work was the only way she could stop herself from going crazy. Ray wasn't putting any pressure on them, not asking for fast results as she thought he would considering all the money he was putting on this project. He came to check on their progress the same morning and stayed working with her on a new code she was having trouble with. And she had been so suprised about his behaviour. He kept his distance from her, working on the code, only talking about work. It was actually nice having him around and he helped her big time. She didn't know what changed in him but she liked this new version of him.

 

"It's been pretty long for me too. And ... Hum ... I got some news." he said and she could picture him, his hand rubbing the back of his neck.

 

"Good or bad?" she asked not sure if she wanted to know.

 

"We're leaving in 5 days."

 

So it was bad news. For the past couple weeks, she hated having him so far from her but at least he was still safe, she knew where he was and he could tell her about his day. But once he'd gone, she wouldn't even know where he will be. And all she could do is imagine the worst.

 

"Where?"

 

"Middle East. I still don't know where exactly or what the mission is and even if I did ... "

 

"You couldn't tell me, I know."

 

They went over this a few times already. She assured him she could hack into the Pentagone and find every detail of his mission but he asked her not to. He said he couldn't go over there and concentrate on surviving if he was worrying about her going to jail.

 

"I don't know what to say ..." she started feeling her heart tighten in her chest.

 

She knew this day would come, she knew it from the start. It was the very reason they spend their night together. But it was still hard.

 

_**She's coming! Man she's coming!!!** _

 

"What's going on?" Felicity asked recognizing Tommy's voice in the back. "Who's coming?"

 

"Laurel, Tommy's fiancée. We have a four days permission before we leave and she is coming to spend it with him here in DC."

 

"I'm coming too." It came out of her mouth before her brain could form the words.

 

"What?"

 

"I want to come too. I want to come and be with you before ..."

 

"Felicity, you don't have to come."

 

"Yes I do. There is no way I will let you leave the country to fight this stupid war without a chance to kiss you goodbye ... properly." Before he could object she added "And it was not a request Mr Queen, it was an affirmation. I am coming to you, and you can't stop me."

 

"What about your job?" Crap she forgot about her stupid job.

 

"You let me worry about that. Now can I get Laurel's number so I can get on the same flight, I hate flying alone."

 

"I like it when you're bossy." he said and she knew he was smiling and was as happy as she was. She was coming to him and no one could have stopped her. Except maybe one person.

 

 

"Mr Palmer?"

 

Felciity had been trying to ask her boss for a few days off since the morning but still haven't find the right time or the strength to ask. Even with Curtis smiling at her as support, it was getting late and she still had not ask. She deserved those vacation days, there was no one in this company that worked as hard as she did. She was the first in and the last out pretty much everyday. She usually stopped by the office on saturdays and worked from home on sundays. And these past few days had been crazy and she worked her ass off as usual never complaining. So yes, she deserved a few days off to go see Oliver before he leaves for war.

 

"Humm" Palmer answered still going over some coding she asked his help on not that she really needed him to, she just needed an excuse to have him in the lab so she could ask him.

 

"You know I'm a hard worker" his head popped up behind the computer and he looked at her, curious to hear where she was headed with that. "I mean, I know I'm not the only one here to work very hard, but I am here pretty much everyday from sunrise to sunset, and sometimes even later than that. I take my job very seriously and you also know how much this project is important to me and ... "

 

"Felicity! No matter how cute your babbling may be, you need to get to the point." he said smiling at her.

 

"I need a few days off to go see my boyfriend." Boyfriend? She called Oliver her "boyfriend". She thought it would feel weird and scary but it actually felt natural and safe. But she felt Palmer tense hearing the word.

 

"I didn't know you had a boyfriend." he said going around the desk to stand closer to her. She took a step back. Even if their relationship had become more cordial lately, she still wasn't sure about his intentions.

 

"I ... He is in DC."

 

"DC? For work I presume." he said coming a little closer. "I mean what else could push someone to go so far away from his beautiful girlfriend." Okay creepy mode was back on.

 

"He's a soldier. He's part of an elite team and they are leaving for war in 5 days." Ray stopped in his tracks.

 

It looked like he was struggling, he closed his eyes and when he opened them again, he looked at Felicity in a more neutral way. He took a step closer and put a hand on her shoulder.

 

"Take all the time you need, Felicity. I'll hold the fort until you're back." Her mouth dropped open.

 

He must be bipolar or something. One second he's a creepy boss hitting on his employee and the next the nice and sweet guy who give you all the support you need. He was a complicated man that was for sure. But right now all that mattered was that she was going to see Oliver.

 

Ray smiled at her before stepping towards the door. Then he stopped and turned back to her. Her heart stopped. Did he change his mind?

 

"What's his name?" he asked.

 

"Oliver." she said, butterflies going crazy in her stomach just saying his name.

 

"Thank Oliver and his team for their service to our country." he said giving her a sweet smile before leaving.

 

She didn't move for a few minutes trying to figure out what had just happened. How Palmer had been so creepy and nice to her. He was not just complicated, he was weird. She shook her head and gathered her stuff before calling it a day. Partly because she was scared Palmer was going to change his mind. Once she was on her mini cooper, her phone rang and made her jump.

 

"Felicity?" she heard a feminine voice on the other hand. "It's Laurel, Tommy's fiancé."

 

"Yes. How are you?"

 

"Probably the same as you. Excited to see Tommy soon but terrified to let him go." Yes, exactly the same as her. "Did you get an answer from your boss? I need to book our plane tickets ASAP."

 

"Yes, I'm good to go."

 

"Great. Ollie is gonna be so happy. Is tomorrow morning okay? 9 am?

 

"Yes. Okay for me."

 

"Okay. My sister is a pilot so I have big discount on her company. Could you send me your infos so I can book it now?"

 

"Sure, I'll send you everything right now."

 

"Great! I can't wait to have more time to talk to you!"

 

"Me too."

 

"Felicity?"

 

"Yes?"

 

"Don't break his heart."

 

Her heart tightened. It was not what she said but the tone she used. Felicity could feel that there was a lot more to know about Laurel's relationship with Oliver but now was not the right time to ask.

 

"I won't."

 

"Good. So I guess I'll see you tomorrow!"

 

"See you tomorrow."

 

 

 

 

 

No need to say that her night had been short. It took her a very long time to figure out what to pack. It was still pretty warm in Starling City for late October but DC was a colder city. She packed some jeans and cute tops, a black jacket but also a few dresses just in case they were going out even if she hoped to spend as much time as they could inside. Speaking of it, she had a very hard time choosing the right underwears.

 

She knew they were going to have sex. Just thinking of having sex with him made her feel light headed. The idea of seing him naked and touching him. The thought of his fingers running along her skin. She needed to sat down. She was trying to settle her breathing when her phone buzzed.

 

_**Oliver : Ready for your flight?** _

 

_**Felicity : Still packing.** _

 

_**Oliver : Need help?** _

 

_**Felicity : Do you have any plans that would require a special dress code?** _

 

_**Oliver : Yes.** _

 

_**Felicity : Care to share?** _

 

_**Oliver : Not really.** _

 

_**Felicity : I need to know Oliver!** _

 

_**Oliver : No. Sorry!** _

 

_**Felicity : Okay so I won't pack anything and go naked wherever you'll take me.** _

 

_**Oliver : If you're naked the all time, we won't be leaving the bedroom.** _

 

_**Felicity : Sounds like the best idea I've ever heard.** _

 

_**Oliver : Sounds good to me too but before I get you naked, I want to take you out to dinner.** _

 

_**Felicity : Are you asking me out on a date ? Like an actual date? Like a date, date ?** _

 

_**Oliver : Sure – I mean, the implication being with dinner … You … I mean** _

 

_**Felicity : Usually I'm the one talking in sentence fragments.** _

 

_**Oliver : Would you like to go to dinner with me ?** _

 

A real date. The idea of going out to dinner with Oliver felt so strange, so normal. Their relationship was so different from anything she ever experienced. They were already so close but only spent a few hours together. But all the talks, the emails and the texts, she felt like they knew each ohter pretty well already and their relationship was already the most serious she've ever had. So going on a date with a man she felt like she knew better than anyone and with whom she already had phone sex was not very scary. It was exciting.

 

And he said he was also planning on getting her naked afterwards. So her mind went back to her dilemna about underwears. She defintely needed something good, something sexy and she knew exactly what she was gonna pack for this date.

 

The sudden ringing of her phone made her jump and almost drop the device.

 

"You don't want to go on a date with me." he said as an affirmation more than a question.

 

"What? Of course I do!" Felicity answered sensing the doubt in Oliver's voice.

 

"Then why didn't you answer?" he asked still doubting her.

 

"Truth?"

 

"Always"

 

"I was thinking of what kind of underwear to pack for our date." She wasn't shy about her kinky thoughts with him and that was a new thing for her. She wasn't sure it would still be the case once she was half naked in front of him but she liked the way he made her feel about her sexuality. With him, she wasn't shy or ashamed about her envy. She wanted him and he wanted her.

 

"Oh. So what did you choose?" he asked, wonder in his voice.

 

"You'll see. It's a surprise."

 

"As much as I love lingerie, I'm planning on getting you naked pretty fast so it doesn't really matter."

 

"Oh really. Are you planning on doing everything fast?" She teased.

 

"Oh no. I will take my time with you Felicity. I will take all the time in the world to give you pleasure."

 

"What about your pleasure?"

 

"Considering what you already do to me from accross the country, I'm not concern about that."

 

"Right back at you." she said laughing.

 

They talked a little more then they called it a night. She fell asleep pretty fast and dreamt of him taking his time with her.

 

 

 

"Felicity!" A brunette was calling her name from accross the terminal.

 

Felicity had stopped at her favorite coffee shop for her usual dose of caffeeine and just arrived at the airport. She found the terminal pretty easily and was spotted immediately by Laurel. Felicity made her way to her and noticed she was talking to a beautiful blonde woman wearing a pilot uniform.

 

"Felciity, this is my sister Sara. Sara, this is Felicity, Ollie's ... friend." she added after a little hesitation.

 

She saw a flicker pass through the blonde woman's eyes but she smiled at her.

 

"Nice to meet you, Felicity."

 

She offerd Felicity her hand. She was very beautiful. She looked so different than her sister. She had long blonde hair, and beautiful green eyes. She had freckles all over her face and a beautiful smile. She was more than beautiful, she was gorgeous.

 

"Nice to meet you too." Felicity said shaking her hand. "So I guess you also know Oliver."

 

The two women exchanged a weird look then Sara smiled back at Felicity.

 

"Yes. We've known each other for a little while."

 

"You packed lightly," Laurel said clearly changing the subject. "I've never been able to do so. Wherever I go, I need a thousand things. I need to be prepare for anything."

 

"It took me a while but yes, I think I have everything I need." Felicity said. "My mom and I used to move a lot when I was a kid so I've learnt to pack only the essential things."

 

"Good. Your flight leaves in an hour." Sara said checking her phone. "Mine leaves at the same time."

 

"Sara is going to New York." Laurel added.

 

"Oh I love New York." Felicity said.

 

"Have you ever been?" Sara asked.

 

"Yes. I went to college in Boston and my roomate was from New York. So we went there a bunch of times. It's an incredible place."

 

"I love it too," Sara said.

 

"Of course you love it there, your girlfriend lives there." Laurel said giving her sister a teasing smile.

 

"Yes, it's one of the many things I love about the city", Sara said smiling. "Where did you go to college," she asked changing the conversation.

 

"MIT."

 

Both women looked at her with a surprised look on their faces. Felicity was used to that look. Everythime she mentionned her job or her attending MIT, people were so surpised that a little blonde girl looking like her was actually a smart person.

 

"So you're like ... a genius or something?" Laurel asked a puzzked look still on her face.

 

"I don't know about genius but I'm kind of a nerd."

 

"Okay, I have a million more questions about you and Ollie now!" Sara said.

 

They talked a little longer before Sara had to leave for her flight and Larel and Felicity had to board theirs. Sara managed to book them two seats in first class, a first time for Felicity. She texted Oliver right before the take-off.

 

_**Felicity : Our plane is about to take-off. See you in 5 hours.** _

 

_**Oliver : Small change of plans. We have a briefing in 4 hours and it will last a couple hours. Go to your hotel, I'll join you there.** _

 

_**Felicity : Okay.** _

 


	10. Chapter 10

Felicity had never been afraid of flying. She was a science person and she knew that planes were the most reliable way of travel. But she still felt pretty unconfortable seating on her seat. To be honest, it probably had more to do with the woman sitting next to her. She didn't like the way Laurel and Sara looked at each ohter every time Oliver's name was mentioned during their talk. She felt like they both knew something she didn't have any idea about. And if there was one thing Felicity Smoak didn't like, it was being kept in the dark.

 

"Did you or your sister date Oliver?" Felicity asked Laurel right before the take-off.

 

"What?" Was all Laurel could say abviously caught off guard by Felicity's frank question.

 

"I may be blonde but I'm not that blonde, Laurel. I've seen the way Sara and you looked at each other. The only explanation I could come up with was that there is some history there. So which one of you was it ?"

 

"I'm just not sure I'm the right person to tell you that. You should talk to Ollie."

 

"Oh believe me I will." She said trying not to be too mad at him for letting her get on a 5 hours plane with his ex girlfriend or his ex grilfriend's sister.

 

"Don't be mad at him. Oliver has many secrets, Felicity." Laurel said making excuses for him. "Look, I've known him pretty much my all life and he have been through so much. It just takes him time to open up and let someone in."

 

Felicity looked at Laurel. No matter what happened between her and Oliver, Laurel knew him, in a way Felicity could never know him and as jealous as she was of that, she wanted to know more about Oliver. Laurel must have felt it because she started sharing stories of their childhood.

 

"He was such a quiet boy. He always kept to himself, Tommy has always been the talkative one. Their parents are bestfriends and the two of them pretty much grew up together."

 

Felicity had a hard time picturing Oliver and Tommy as friends. The little she had seen and heard of Tommy, he seemed very different from Oliver.

 

"They are still so different but they love each other like brothers. No matter how much money they grew up into, they both had pretty shitty parents so they became each other family. And then Thea was born and Ollie had always been an other man with her."

 

That Felicity knew about. Just by the way he talked about Thea, she could feel the infinite love he was carrying for his baby sister.

 

"Then it got hard. For Tommy and Oliver. They were pretty troubled teens. With all the money came the parties, the girls, the alcohol and the drugs. All that mattered to them was partying. I did my best to keep them out of trouble but eventually I had to leave. I went to Europe for a year and when I came back, Tommy and I got closer and he changed, for me. He got clean and build a life with me."

 

"And Oliver?"

 

"It took him longer. But one day he got kicked out by his parents and changed entirely. He enrolled with Tommy and put his all life back on track."

 

"Do you know ..."

 

"No. I don't know what happened." So that was one mystery she wouldn't solve today. "Now if you'll excuse me I have to pee."

 

The rest of the flight went on pretty quietly. Laurel fell asleep right after her third time to the restroom. And Felicity was left with a lot of questions and good wifi signal. Which turned out to be a really bad combination.

 

                                                                 -------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

After landing, the two women went straight to their hotel. Ray emailed her the night before her flight letting her know that she could use the suite the company was usually booking for high profile clients in DC. She accepted without hesitation happy not to have to worry about that. She had email Oliver with all her travel details. So he knew exactly where to find her.

 

"I'm going to rest before Tommy arrives." Laurel said on the elevator to their rooms.

Felicity didn't respond immediately still reading an article on her phone about the night Oliver got arrested for DUI and decided to pee on the cop's shoes.

 

"Felicity ?" Laurel called her name trying to get her attention.

 

"Sorry. What did you say ?" Felicity put her phone back on her bag promising herself to stop googling Oliver's name.

 

"I said I was going to rest for a bit before Tommy gets here."

 

"Any special plans?" Felicity asked her.

 

"Not really. We'll probably stay in tonight." Laurel answered with a wide smile on her face. "You?"

 

"Oliver has made some plans for a date but did not share them with me."

 

"Sounds exciting."

 

"Not when you hate surprises," Felicity said right before the elevator's doors open on Laurel's floor.

 

"Don't worry. It will be a great night I'm sure. Have fun!" Laurel said right before the door closed.

 

Having fun was not something she was really used to. But she would have done anything with Oliver.

 

"Oh Frack!" was all Felicity could say when she opened the doors to the Palmer Tech Suite.

 

Or more like an appartment. It was splendid and so big. She walked down the corridor and took in the amazing view of the city through two huge glass windows on the corner of the room. There was a dinner area with a long glass table and 6 white chairs, and a couple black sofas facing a fireplace. A huge fireplace also made of glass. She went back to the coridor and discovered an office with a large balck desk and a computer. She sat on the big chair and let her fingers brush against the keyboard. She loved that sensation.

 

She got up and went back to the main area to find the bedroom. She pushed the two glass doors on the left and was surprised by the size of the bed. It was a king size brown wood bed with brown side tables. The glass windows were as huge as the ones in the living room area. The light was coming down on the bed making it look even bigger. She took off her jacket and put it on the bed before heading to the bathroom. It was almost as big as the bedroom. A big bathtub was in the middle of the room, a spacious shower in the right corner, two sinks and lots and lots of mirrors. She couldn't believe it. This place was just so perfect. She made a mental note to thank Ray for offering it.

 

_**Oliver : Landed safely?** _

 

Felicity couldn't help the smile on her face.

 

_**Felicity : Just arrived at my hotel. The suite is huge.** _

 

_**Oliver : I should be there at 6 o'clock. Be ready for our date!** _

 

_**Felicity : Can't wait!** _

 

She went back to the bathroom and choose to run herself a bath hoping it will calm her a bit. She texted Curtis to let him know she was safe and sound before stepping out of her clothes and getting in the water. She welcomed the warmth of the water and so did her muscles. She didn't even know how tense she was until she felt her muscle relax on the water. While her body started to relax a bit, her mind couldn't. She was still trying to make sense of what she had read on the internet about Oliver.

 

"Playboy" "Womanizer" "Dangerous" "Violent" "Reckless"

 

These words had nothing to do with her Oliver. There was a lot of pictures of him too with a hundred different women. And the alcohol and drug use. The violence against police officers, paparazzis and random guys. Who was this man? She didn't know a lot about him, about his past and still she traveled accross the country to be with him. That was crazy. She was crazy !

 

                                                                -------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

"I am not this kind of man." Oliver said to Tommy when his friend asked him if he packed condoms for his night with Felicity.

 

"The prepared kind, you mean?" Tommy grinned at him.

 

Of course he had plans involving using condoms for his night with Felicity but he didn't want to pressure her into anything and he surely didn't want Tommy to ask him details about his night the next day. He didn't know why but he was shy about his future sex life with Felicity. All he knew was that he wanted to keep it to himself for as long as possible.

 

"Are you guys done talking about that?" Shado asked walking by them in the corridor.

 

Their meeting had been pushed to 5 pm and Oliver couldn't help but look at his watch every 5 minutes. He listened to everything, he was professional and had too much respect for John Diggle not to. They were going on a reckon mission, they needed to gather intel about a terrorist cell in ennemy territory. It would probably take a few weeks then they will have to come back and wait for the tech people to analyse every bit of information before they would get any orders. That means he would be back to Felicity soon and have some more time with her before the dangerous part of his mission start.

 

"Okay, I think we covered everything. So I'll let you all go back to your loved ones and spend some time with them before we leave on Sunday. Remember to keep your phones with you and on at all times in case the orders change." Diggle wished them all to enjoy their time but not too much before letting them go.

 

"Eager to leave Mr Queen?" he asked when he saw Oliver gather his things very fast ready to run out the door.

 

"Yes. Felicity is waiting for me." he said grinning.

 

"Enjoy every moment you get and please don't over think things?"

 

"Me over thinking? Not sure it's a word any of my teachers ever used to describe me," he said chuckling.

 

Twenty minutes later, Tommy and him arrived at the girls hotel. Tommy left him in the elevator wishing him a good night and Oliver went up to the 45th floor. He walked to her door. He was anxious and excited at the same time. He took a deep breath before knocking at the door. He heard mouvement inside before the door slam open and a very angry Felicity faces him.

 

"Please come in!" she says before going inside.

 

Defintely not the kind of welcoming he was expecting.

 

"Is everything okay?"

 

"Yes! Why wouldn't it be? I mean I had a very good flight sitting in 1st class thanks to one of your numerous lover and sitting beside her sister also known as your high school sweetheart from what my friend Google have told me."

 

Crap! He should have told her. Of course he should have told her.

 

"I mean seriously, all that time I didn't want to google you because I didn't care and I trusted you to tell me every important thing about your life. I know you mentionned that you used to have a pretty crazy life but from the look of it, you fucked the all damn city! And now I'm supposed to compete with all that? How? How could I compete with hundreds of woman certainly more experimented than me and sexier for sure ..."

 

He couldn't help it, he had to stop her babbling and he didn't find any better way to do it than to kiss her. He took her head between his two big hands to stop her from moving around the room like she's been doing the all time and pressed his lips to hers. Within seconds she responded to his kiss and parted her lips inviting him in. He invaded her mouth caressing her tongue with his. He kissed her like he had never kissed anyone before putting all his feelings for this woman into the kiss. She moaned against his lips and he couldn't help but smile against hers. They parted, both of them panting.

 

"We should talk," she said covering his hands with hers. "Because right now I feel like a crazy person. Oliver, we barely know each other and yet I've crossed the country to be with you."

 

"Felicity, I know it's crazy and so hard to explain, it's the first time I've ever wanted to be with someone like that," he said his hands still on either side of her head.

 

"But we need to talk." He let go and followed her to the sofa. They sat there and he could see that she was struggling to find her words. A first for her.

 

"You can ask me anything," he encouraged her.

 

"I don't know what to ask. I just don't understand. All the stuff I read, it just doesn't add up to the man I see right now in front of me."

 

"I'm not that man anymore." he said closing his eyes just for a second trying to gather his courage knowing he needed to come clean about his past.

 

He felt her hand on his cheek and leaned into her touch.

 

"I used to be a bad person, Felicity. I was selfish and stupid. Growing up with all the pressure to be the perfect son, with a life all written for me, I never really had a chance to make a choice about who I wanted to become. I hated who my parents wanted me to be so I did everything I could to destroy myself. Alcohol, sex, drugs, parties, everything. I have been with a lot of girls. Laurel and I dated for a few years but I treated her so bad. She stayed with me trying to save me but then I slept with her sister, Sara. And it destroyed her. She left for Europe and when she got back, she fell in love with a better man, Tommy. I thought I loved her, but now," he said, holding Felicity's hand, looking right into her beatiful blue eyes, "I know I was never in love with her."

 

"I'm so scared of how you make me feel, Oliver. It feels so unreal. But yet so strong."

 

"I know. But we ought to each other to try and understand what's happening between us. So," he said, getting up and holding up his hand, "Felicity Smoak, do you want to go on a date with me?"

 

She smiled and took his hand.

 

"I do."

 


	11. The Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Felicity go on their "first date" and Felicity learn a lot more about Oliver's past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me a while but here it is! I'LL try to post the next chapter soon!

"It'll only take a minute." Felicity said getting up from the couch and walking towards the bedroom area. 

"Sure", Oliver says not believing a word she says. 

She stopped right in front of the door and turned around to face him. 

"Are you calling me a liar Mr Queen?" she asks a false look of shock on her face.

"No, Miss Smoak. But I do have a sister and I know, from years of experience, that it never takes a minute for a woman to get ready." 

"Well, you need to remember that I am not just any woman."

"Oh believe me, I know that." he says smiling at her. 

She didn't move for a moment, just looking at him looking at her. She almost got back to the couch next to him but refrained herself knowing that it will probably prevent them from getting out of this room. So she smiled at him and shut the glass door behind her. 

And Oliver waits. He can't help but think about the fact that she is changing in the next room. Getting naked right next door and he can't help but smile at the thought of that. He fights the urge to walk to that door. But he knows that if he does they won't be leaving this bedroom. And he has a pretty nice evening planned so he stays put and waits. Of course his mind doesn't let a door stop it and he can feel his pants are getting tight whilst he imagine her body pressed against his. Oliver is surprised by how bad he wants her. He had a very active sex life before and had been with a lot of women, but he never wanted any woman as much as he wanted her. 

It did take her twenty minutes but the wait was totally worth it. His jaw dropped when she walked out. She was wearing a beautiful red dress that fit perfectly every curve of her beautiful body. Her red heels made her legs look even sexier. Her blond curls covered her bare shoulders and he couildn't prevent his eyes from lingering a little too long on her generous neckline.

"Eyes up here, Mr Queen." she teased him. 

"Sorry" he says looking her in the eyes. "You look so beautiful."

She could feel her cheeks turning red. It was not so much the words he used but more the way he looked at her. 

"Thank you. You look pretty nice yourself." 

Oliver walked around the couch and stood right in front of her, his eyes still locked with hers. He held out his hand and she took it without hesitation. 

"I hope you like italian," he asked opening the cab's door and helping her out. 

Oliver managed to get them a table at the very pretigious italian restaurant Bella Nocce. This restaurant is not only one of the best in the country, it is also the most romantic one. Once they stepped inside, Felicity's jaw falls seeing the decor. 

"It's so red," the walls were made of old red bricks that reminded her of her first appartment, her first home in Boston.

The place was only lit by chandeliers hanging on the walls and candles spread on every table. On the left, a few couples were sitting at a long bar probably waiting for their tables. Waiters were walking around with bottles of wine or hot plates that smelled like heaven. 

"Mister Queen. So good to have you here tonight. Please follow me." 

He didn't even say his name but the receptionnist must have recognize him. It was hard for Felicity to wrap her head around the fact that Oliver was kind of famous. You can't be the heir of a billion dollar company and not be recognize from time to time. 

Oliver took her hand and they follow the man into a second room where a dozen tables were set all occupied by couples except for one right next to a large window. Oliver held the chair for her and she sat down still surprised by how romantic this place was. Oliver ordered a glass of red wine for him and white wine for her then the waiter left them alone. 

"How?" Felicity asked gesturing to the room, "How did you find this place? And how did you manage to get a reservation so quickly?" 

"My boss told me about it. He proposed to his wife here. And being a Queen has its advantage even in DC." 

Being a Queen must have more bad sides than good ones and Felicity already knew it from the small things Oliver has told her about his childhood. But yeah this was defintetly a very good side of it. She was silent for a moment, trying to get used to this, used to him being in front of her after all this time of him being a voice on a phone, so far away. And, to be honest, she was also still a little uncomfortable because of everything he didn't tell her about his past. 

"You can ask me anything, Felicity. About my past. I will never lie to you." he told her like he knew exactly what she was thinking.

"But you might hide the truth." She said not looking at him.

Like so many have done to her before. Not telling was the same as lying. Hiding the truth was the same as lying. 

"To protect you maybe."

She shot him a very angry look that scared him a little if he was being honest. 

"Let's be clear right now, Oliver." she started putting both her hands on the table. "I don't need anyone to protect me. I've been doing a good job protecting myself pretty much all my life. So thank you but no thank you." She held his look wanting him to understand this very clearly. 

She was not a girl that needed to be shielded, she was the quaterback of her own team. She was the one making the decisions about her life. Nobody else. 

"Okay." he said. "I'm sorry if I offended you."

"I'm not offended, Oliver. I just want you to understand that I am not like the kind of girl you probably are used to be with. Don't lie to me. Don't protect me. Just respect me and trust me enough to tell me the truth, even the ones you're scared of."

She was very different from the woman he used to date. 

"Promise me, Oliver." 

"I promise." he said covering both her hand with his. "I won't lie to you, Felicity. I promise."

"Good. Now tell me all about Laurel and Sara." 

She was not joking around. And Oliver loved it. He knew from the first night they spend together that he would have to be honest about his past if they were ever gonna make it together. He had already open up a little about his childhood but now it was time to let Felicity see the kind of ass he used to be.

"I've know the Lance sisters since I was a kid. We went to the same school and we've been friends for as long as I can remember. Sara is two years older than Laurel, Tommy and I but she was always very close to her sister so we hang out a lot. When we were 17, I started dating Laurel. It went on for years, on and off. We would always get into a fight and break up before getting back together a few weeks later. It was a really bad relationship. I cheated on her every chance I had …" he stopped waiting to see her reaction but she didn't react, wainting for him to continue. "And she always forgave me. We were 22 and she wanted us to move in together. I wasn't ready, deep down I knew I didn't really loved her and she deserved better but I just panicked and did the worst thingI could ever do. I slept with her sister, Sara. And this time she couldn't forgive me. So she left me and then the country. Sara left too and I didn't see any of them for a couple years. But a lot of time and things happenned since then and now we are ..."

"Friends." Felicity offered.

"Yes. As friends as we can be considering our past."

He knew his relationship the with Lance sisters will always been ternished by what happened. He was so glad they both still talked to him and more importantly that they've been able to rebuild their own relationship.

"Waouh, and you let me meet Sara and fly accross the country with Laurel without telling me. That was rude."

"I'm so sorry. I didn't think ..."

"That I would figure out something happened between the three of you by just talking with them?" She asked laughing. "In case you haven't notice yet, I'm kind of very smart, Oliver. I'm not bragginf or anyhting but I have a very high IQ and I've been called a genius on numerous occasions and not just by my mother.” 

Oliver couldn't help but laugh at her babbling. The waiter served their drinks and took their order. Oliver told her a little more about his dark past with all the partying, the alcohol, the drugs and all the girls. Felicity listened, she never said anything to make him feel bad about it. She didn't judge him and he loved her all the more for it.

"Why did you stop?" 

They just finished their main courses and ordered dessert. 

"I ... Something happened ... and I realised that I was not only destroying myself but the people I loved too."

She didn't push to know what happened. And he was glad because he still wasn't sure he was ready to talk about that part of his past.

"What about you?" Oliver asked trying to change the subject. 

"Me? Well I get drunk pretty fast and then I get very sleepy so I don't really see the fun in it. Being a nerd, I didn't really get invited to a lot of party, not even in college, never done drugs except for that one time I ate some space brownies. I kissed a girl once in college but unlike Katy Perry, I didn't really like it."

Oliver couldn't help but laugh at all those informations bursting out of her mouth. He was amazed of how fast she could talk and how her mind just jumped from an idea to an other without stopping. 

"Okay, I'll need to know more about the space brownies and the Katy Perry moment later but what about boys?"

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What about boys? 

"Not much." was all she had time to answer before the desserts were served. Two pieces of chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. 

"You mean?" Felicity could see the schock in Oliver's eyes. 

"No, Oliver. I am not a virgin," she added smiling at his disconfort. 

He tried to hide the relief but she saw right threw him. Of course he would have loved all the same if she were a virgin but he would have terrified him for sure. 

"I said not much not nothing at all. I had only one serious boyfriend, in college. But he was kind of a jerk and pretty much broke my heart and much more." 

Oliver's jaw clenched. How could someone break Felicity's heart? The thought of her being hurt made his heart bleed and his fists clench. From the little he known about her, she had the purest most innocent soul he had ever seen. 

"You don't have to talk about it …" 

"No, it's okay. But there is nt much to say. He was not a nice guy and didn't treat me right. He made me think I wasn't worth much and he used my tech skills to break the law. Like I said, not a nice guy. Once he got what he wanted, he just left me. Like I was nothing." She choked up on the words. 

Years after Cooper broke her heart and her self confidence, it still hurts and she hated that he still had that kind of power over her. Thinking about that time always made her feel so stupid. She still couldn't believe she didn't see it coming. Oliver put his hand on hers, stoppind the tremble, his thumb gently stroking her skin. 

"I am so sorry that this happened to you, Felicity. But it shaped the person you are today and I really like her." He smiled at her, his hand still on hers. 

It did. It shaped the person she was. Strong, confident and independant. She learned from her mistakes and grew from it just like Oliver did. She smiled at him enjoying his touch. 

"The ice-cream is melting, we should eat." she said and he released her hand. 

"So just him?" Oliver asked taking his first bite of the cake.

"Yes, except if you count my brother." 

Oliver almost chocked and had to drink some water before he could speak. 

"Okay, that need an explanation!"

"Well he was my first kiss."

"You dated your brother?" He said a little too loud and some people turned their heads in their direction.

"Well first, could you be more discrete. And two, he is technically not my brother. And it was just a kiss to make sure there was nothing else. And there was nothing. We were only 16. We are not the Lannisters. So now can we stop talking about me and eat our desserts?"

They finished their cakes talking about more casual things. He asked about her job and smiled listening to her but not understanding half the words she was using. It felt so good to be with her. 

"Do you want to go for a walk or ..." Oliver started once they stepped out of the restaurant. 

She turned to him and stepped a little bit closer invading his space with her scent of vanilla. 

"I want you to take me back to my hotel and get that dress off me like you promised, Mr Queen." 

"I love it when you're bossy." was all he said before helling a cab. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The ride was the very worst. Their hands were entangled, Oliver's thumb kept stroking the back of her hand. Their knees touching, he felt the urge to put his hand on her thighs but knew that if he did so, he would have want to moove it up and the backseat of a cab was not where he wanted this to happen.  
The way he stroke her hand with his thumb melted her insight. She needed him to touch her more, she needed his fingers on her, in her.  
It was like both their bodies radiated with fire and they couldn't stop looking at each other. Felicity looked at his lips and all she could think of was tracing their curves with her tongue. It was torture to be so close without touching each other the way their bodies were claiming to be touched. 

"We're here." 

They both almost jump out of the car. 

Thir hands still entangled, they step into the elevator followed by three other people, an old lady and a middle age couple. They were cornered at the back of the cabin. Felicity released Oliver's hand and snuggled up closer to his body. Olivers tightened her more hardly against him and she put her right hand on his chest while her left hand rested on his back. The elevator stopped on the 6th floor and the old lady left. The door just closed when Oliver fet Felicity's left hand sliding along his back before setting on his buttocks that she squeezed it with no hesitation. He couldn't help but let a sound of surprise escape him. The woman in front of them turned her head slightly while her partner was on his phone. Felicity was giggling but she did not take her hand off of him. Oliver turned his head to her and repeled a lock of her blonde hair behind her ear before murmuring so close to her ear that she could feel his warm breath against her skin.

"Two can play this game." he says before kissing her right behind her ear. 

She could feel her skin burn right where his lips were touching her. He tasted her and didn't stop there. Now that he tasted the sweet taste of her, he just couldn't stop. His lips started tracing the ligns of her neck until he found the perfect spot. The one that made her moan and made the two other people in the elevator turn around. Felicity was not laughing anymore, her knees were shaking, her head was spinning and her skin was on fire. And he only kissed her neck. Soon the doors opened to the 24th floor and the couple left but not before the lady shot a very weird look at them. The moment the doors closed, they were all hands and lips. Oliver pinned her to the wall and started devouring her neck. Her hands were all over him. She felt his body crushing her against the cold of the wall but all she could do was try to get him even closer. Kissing him was so intoxicating. 

"You're vibrating." she said out of breath.

"Just for you, babe." he murmured kissing her neck so hard she knew it would leave a mark.

"No, Oliver, your phone! It's vibrating!"

"I don't care," he said still tasting her skin "You're all that matters right now."

Felicity loved that but she also couldn't help but wonder who was calling him at that time. She was never the kind of girl to go through her boyfriend's phone but she just had this feeling that this call might be important. So she slid her hand into his back pocket and took his phone out. She checked the caller ID before pushing him away from her as hard as she could.

"Answer it," she said handing him his phone. "It's your sister."

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once they get into the room, Felicity decided to give Oliver some privacy and pretended she needed to go to the bathroom. As big and luxurious as the suite was, she discovered quickly that the walls were still pretty thin. She could hear everything Oliver was saying to his sister. 

"In a few days." he says. "I didn't want to worry you ... I know ... No. Thea I don't want them to know ... They won't care anyway ... Because I know them ... Please. Just don't. Who told you? … Well Laurel should learn to keep her mouth shut … I'll be back in a few weeks anyway ... Yes it's just a reckon mission so I won't even be anywhere close the combat zones ... Yes, I promise ... Of course I'll call if I can ... Or write ... I'm not alone don't worry ... Yes, Felicity is here with me ... I don't know, Speedy. It's still so new ... Yeah well we'll see ... I'm sure you'll love her ... Of course she'll love you. Actually I think she already does ... Okay, I'll call you before I leave ... I love you too, Speedy."

Felicity waited a few moments before coming out of the bathroom. He was sitting on the couch, looking out through the large windows.

"Are you okay?" she asked before realising how stupid that question was.

"I'm a terrible brother." he let out a breath he didn't realise he was holding. 

"Why would you say that?" she said stitting down next to him, taking his hands in hers. "I heard you talk to your sister, you clearly love her. And from what I saw, she loves you too."

"Sometimes you hurt the people you love the most. And that's what I did. I hurt her."

Felicity didn't understand what he was talking about. From everything she heard from Oliver, he adored Thea and would do anything to protect her. She was the most important person in his life. And from the one time she talked to his sister, Felicity felt how much she loved and worshipped Oliver. 

"Oliver. I don't understand." 

Oliver knew he had to tell her. He couldn't hide this from her. He knew exactly where the night was headed and he could not be with Felicity, completely with her, without her knowing what kind of person he was. 

"My parents were out of town. As usual. We got into a huge fight before they left. Also as usual. And I decided that the most brilliant thing to do while they were gone was to throw a big party at the mansion. So Tommy and I went big, really big. Lots of alcohol and lots of people. Most of them we didn't even know. Thea was supposed to be at her boyfriend's but they got into a fight and she decided to come home. I was so mad at her for coming home, I didn't want to have to look after my baby sister, but I told her to stay close to me. I knew a lot of guys there were not the kind you want to have around your young and beautiful sister. But like I told you before, I was stupid and reckless and I got so drunk that a few hours later I didn't even notice she wasn't next to me anymore. And when I finally realised it, it was too late, she was gone and nobody knew where she was. I knew something was bad."

For a moment, Oliver closed his eyes. He was back at the mansion, back to that night. He could feel the utter panic that took over him when he realised Thea was not by his side. Felicity squeezed his hands tighter, letting him know she was still there listening to him. He relaxed and opened his eyes. 

"I started going crazy, screaming her name. Then some guy told me he saw her going upstairs. There are dozens of rooms in our house and it took me so long to finally found her. I tried all the doors and only one didn't open. I screamed her name while kicking on the door. I kicked it open and I found her."

He covered his face with his hands. The images of that night coming back to him. 

"She was half naked, unconscious on the bed and some guy was on her."

Felicity couldn't help but gasp. 

"I lost control. I couldn't control the anger. Seeing my baby sister so exposed and this piece of shit on her. I started hitting him and I kept hitting him so hard I almost killed him. Ialmost killed him, Felicity." he looked straight to her. 

Tears were rolling down his cheeks. All Felicity could do was hold his hand as tight as possible. She could see the disgust towards himself Oliver was feeling. But she could also see the hurt of having failed his sister in his eyes. 

"Oliver." 

The way she said his name, he could feel the love she held for him. And it reminded him how unworthy of this love he was.

"Tommy came into the room looking for me and found me still punching the guy. He managed to stop me. There was so much blood. I don't remember everything that happened after that. Tommy must have call his father cause next thing I remember is Malcolm Merlyn and a few men I never saw taking the guy out of the room and Tommy caring Thea to her bedroom."

"Oliver, did he …was Thea ..." she asked so scared about the answer. 

"No. He didn't have time."

"You saved her." she said letting out a sigh of relief knowing that Thea wouldn't have to live with that kind of trauma. 

"No, Felicity, because of me she almost got raped. And then I almost kill the guy. My parents wanted to press charges but couldn't because of me. The guy's parents would have pressed charges against me. They couldn't do anything to punish him and to protect my sister because of me."

"Oliver, you did protect her."

"No! That's the thing! I didn't." He snapped getting up and walking towards the windows. 

"But she doesn't blame you for all this."

"No. She is trying to forget all about this. But my parents couldn't. That's why they kicked me out of their house and out of theit lives. And they were right, I am putting Thea in danger by just being in her life." He turned around looking at her right in the eyes wanting to make sure she was understanding every word he was about to say. "I'm not a good man Felicity. I'm a monster."

Oliver truly believed those words, she could see it in his eyes. He believed he was a bad person. He believed he was all darkness. He believed he was a monster. Felicity felt a tear roll down her cheek seeing this beautiful, kind and loving man hating himself so much. She stood up still holding his gazee and took both his hands in hers.

"Listen to me, Oliver. You are not a monster. No matter what happened in your past, no matter what you believe you are, I know who you are. You are the man that makes me feel safe for the first time in a very long time. You opened up my heart in a way I didn't know was possible."

He closed his eyes taking in her words, trying to let them heal his soul. Felicity waited for him to open them again. He had to look her in the eyes. He needed to hear and see what she was about to tell him. She needed him to believe those next three words she had not tell to anyone in a very long time. Finally Oliver opened his eyes and she let her heart open to him. 

"I love you."


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a very hard time with this chapter but the amazing comments on the last one made me feel so good that I found the strength to finish it! You guys are amazing! I hope you enjoy this one!

" I love you. "

The moment she said those words, Oliver's heart exploded and all he wanted to do was make her feel how much he loved her too cause words were not enough. He took a deep breath and without breaking eye contact, he slowly removed her glasses before kissing her. Their mouth crashing into each other, passion and love taking over any kind of restrain they had before.

She opened her lips and Oliver claimed her mouth. Felicity could feel the fire inside her grow even more intense. She put her arms around his neck and pushed his body closer to hers. She climbed onto his lap, her dress revealing more and more skin, and she could feel him already so hard beneath her. He put his hands on her tighs and she started moving a bit against him and she heard a low growl coming from him. She smiled then let her fingers travel from the back of his neck to his hair that she grabbed and used to push him even closer.

Felicity was in charge, she knew it and Oliver knew it. Oliver wanted her to take control because he was all hers. He wanted her so bad but he needed to make sure she was ready. He hade taken advantage of so many girls before, using the right word, the right smile to push them to the edge and make them fall for him. He was never gonna do that to her. Not to Felicity. And he felt that none of the mooves that worked on those girls would work on Felicity.

"Felicity," oliver said out of breathe.

"What?" she asked kissing his jaw and making her way to his neck.

"Are you sure about this?" he was so surprised hearing himself ask that at that moment when all he wanted to do was take her right on this couch.

"I want you, Oliver Queen," she said looking him right in the eyes. "I want all of you."

"Good cause I am all yours, Felicity Smoak , body and soul." he said before capturing her lips once more.

He was so good at kissing. She loved the way his lips felt like little pillows, how his tongue claimed hers and how his scruff rasp against her skin. She broke the kiss and looked at him for a few seconds before getting up. He stood up in front of her not breaking eye contact then he kissed her again, tracing the contour of her lips with his tongue. He wasn't touching her anywhere else but her all body was trembling. She needed more, so much more touching, so much more skin.

She grabbed the hem of his shirt and slowly pulled it up revealing every inch of his glorious muscular chest. It took her breath away seeing him so beeautiful and knowing he was all hers. And she was all his.

" I love that dress, Felicity, but I think it will look better on the floor." Oliver said before turning her around abruptly.

He unzipped the dress and very slowly took it off her revealing her naked flesh. He gasped discovering the sexy lingerie she was wearing. Every inch of her skin was so beautiful and Oliver wished to spend the rest of his life kissing and licking every inch of it. When the dress touched the floor, he turned her around and claimed back her mouth. Felicity put her arms around his neck cruching her breast agains his chest. Her nipples were already so hard that the friction of the thin material of her bra against them were hurting a bit.

  
Oliver surrounded her with his arms putting her closer. He stroked her back tenderly before letting his hands go lower and lower, his hands slowly slipping under her panties, his eager fingers grazing her bare ass. He suddenly picked her up, hauling her off her feet. She wrapped her legs around him and started moving against his hardness.

Oliver started walking towards the bedroom area and stopped in front of the bed. He sat down on it with her on his lap. He lay down back on the bed offering himself to her. She took her time to touch every scar on his chest before leaning on him kissing him again. She straitened and he watched her take off her bra with eager eyes. He couldn't help but smile seeing her so beautiful, offering hersemf to him.

  
He sat up and started kissing her neck again before slipping to her breast. He captured one of her nipple between his teeth and it send a jolt of electricity right down her center. She couldn't help but moan when he started teasing her other nipple with his fingers. She was moving faster against him, Oliver could feel her wetness through the fabric of his pants. He needed to her rid of his pants right now. He flipped her over in a second and got off the bed. Standing up between her legs, he took his pants and his boxer off in a swift move. Felicity couldn't help but bit her lower lip seeing him gloriously naked.

Oliver let his fingers travel on her bare legs, making their way up then he started kissing her inner tighs and made his way to her wet panties. He kissed her there and Felicity moaned again.

"You smell so good, Felicity. I want to know how you taste." he said not breaking eye contact.

Felicity had never heard anything sexier and hotter than that. But Oliver didn't do anything before she nodded at him giving him permission. She wanted him to taste her so bad. He took her panties off and burried his face between her legs. Her body started shivering. His tongue was playing with her clit while he pushed one then two fingers inside her. She was trembling feeling the fire build and ready to explode. She held his hair guiding his mouth on her feeling like she was going to blow up.

"Oliver," she moaned.

Hearing her say his name like this made him go crazy and he ravished her increasing the pace. She couldn't hold it anymore and she came screaming his name. Then Oliver kissed his way up to her mouth, a grin on his face.

"That was …" she tried to say, her body recovering from her orgasm.

"It's just the beginning baby," he said before deepening the kiss.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Felicity woke up and for a few seconds could not remember where she was. It was still dark but she didn't recognize the skyline outside the windows. This was not home. She heard Oliver's heavy breathing on her neck, felt his arm around her. This was home.

Felicity remembered thinking a lot about what their first time would be like and she knew from their amount of chemistry how good it was going to be but god, she had no idea how good. Oliver took his time devouring every inch of her body, making her feel so beautiful under his lips. He kissed her and let his hands cover ever curve and it made her feel so sexy. More than the touches and the kisses, what Felicity couldn't get over from was the way Oliver looked at her. He could not take his eyes off of her and the heat in them was almost enough to make her come. He loved her. She could see it in his eyes, she could feel it in her heart and she knew it in her soul.

He was still sleeping but Felicity felt the urge to go to the bathroom. She slipped out of bed very slowly and carefully making sure she would not wake him up. Once she was standing up, she took a few moments to look at him. She couldn't help but hold a breath seeing this beautiful man in her bed, knowing he was all hers. She lingered on his muscular body, gloriously naked. She would never get used to that.

She gasped at her reflection. Her hair was a mess but it was nothing compared to her face. She had beard burn all around her mouth. She smiled remembering his taste on her tongue. She lowered her eyes and noticed a few red spot here and there where Oliver spent a little too much time playing with his magic tongue. And yes, she was going to call it his magic tongue from now on.

She drank some water before heading back to the bed. He was still sleeping. She slid between his arms, facing him this time. She run her fingers along his jaw, and on his mouth. She couldn't stop herself and brushed her lips against his. He moved and without opening his eyes he kissed her back, slowly and so tenderly.

"Felicity." She loved when he said her name.

"Go back to sleep, baby." she said kissing him again.

"I wish I could but you woke the beast." Oliver said pushing his erection right against her thighs.

She smiled and reached for it. She took him in her hand and started pumping slowly feeling him go harder and harder. She started kissing him, letting their tongues play, increasing the pace with her hand.

"Slow down, Felicity. I don't want to come in your hands." Oliver said taking her hand off him.

He kissed her knuckles before releasing her hands. In a very easy motion, he flipped her over on her other side so she would have her back to him. She could now feel his erection against her bare ass. Before she could even say anything his fingers were testing her wetness. He let out a deep groan feeling her so ready.

"I'm always ready for you." she said in a moan.

Oliver didn't say anything but in a second he was sliding his hard cock inside her and her walls tightened around him. He didn't moove for a few seconds letting her adjust to him. Then he slowly went a little deeper thanks to the new angle. Felicity's hand clamped around his arms at the new feeling. It was so good. He waited a few more seconds before pulling out slowly and sliding back faster. Felicity moaned and started moving with him matching his pace. He was taking his time once again.

"Oliver … faster …" she moaned in despair.

"I love it when you're bossy." he said before increasing the pace, their body colliding and their breaths getting out of control.

"Come, baby, come for me" and as if his voice was what she needed, Felcity came hard crying Oliver's name so loud she was sure the all floor heard her.

He joined her and covered her cries with his as he held her tighter spilling inside her. It took them a few minutes before they could even think straight and move their bodies. He pulled out of her and the sensation made her moan again. He cleaned himself before cleaning her. Then he surrounded her with his body, her head resting on his heart. Felicity fell asleep listening to the sound of his heart that beated only for her.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Felicity woke up to the sound of her phone buzzing. No way she was going to answer when she could just keep snuggling against Oliver's chest. Except she wasn't. She stood up on her elbows looking around the room. He was nowhere to be seen. She was about to call his name when she heard his voice coming from the living room. She let out a breath she didn't realise she was holding and turned to her phone that was buzzing again.

"This better be an emergency, Barry!"

"Easy! Were you still asleep? It's pretty late in the morning. Are you sick?" Barry asked a little worried about Felicity.

Barry knew that Felicity never slept in, especially since she moved to Starling City and was working like a maniac at Palmer Tech.

"What? No, I'm not sick. But I am not in Starling City. I'm in Whashington."

"What? What are you doing there?"

Things have been so crazy lately between work and her new long distance relationship with Oliver that she had not have the time to talk to Barry about Oliver. She could hear Oliver's voice on the other side of the wall. He was probably on the phone as well.

"I met someone, Barry. I'm spending a few days with him in D.C."

"Wait? What? When did this happen? Who is this guy?"

"His name is Oliver. Actually I told you about him before. Remember the cute guy from the coffee shop?"

"Not really."

"Because you never listen to me."

"I'm kidding Felicity! Of course I remember the cute guy that looked like a Greek God send from Heaven to make millions of babies to you."

"I never said he was a Greek God send from Heaven to make millions of babies to me!"

"Maybe not in these words but you certainly thought it." Barry said laughing.

"Shut up Bar!" was all she could say feeling her cheeks turn red.

"Sorry. Okay tell me more about your Greek God."

Suddenly, Felicity felt shy talking about Oliver to her best friend. Not because she was ashamed or anything like that but more because she couldn't hide anything from Barry and knew that she had to be one hunder percent honest with him. The hard part was to find the right words to express what she was feeling for Oliver, cause love didn't seem enough.

"I don't know what to tell you, Barry. He is … so amazing. He is kind and generous. You know how I usually am with guys, I pretty much don't trust any of your kind anymore, but he is different. He makes me feel so good. He makes me feel … safe." she said letting out a long breath.

Oliver couldn't help but smile hearing Felicity talk about him. He had finish his call to Tommy a few minutes ago and just ordered breakfast for the two of them. He was now standing behind the bedroom's door listening to her voice. Of course he also heard the Greek God part.

"It sounds like you're falling hard for this Oliver."

"Oh I can't stop falling when it comes to him. And the weird part is that it doesn't even scare me."

"Okay but be careful, Felicity. You remember what happened the last time …"

"This is different, Barry. Oliver is nothing like Cooper or Billy. I can't quite explain why but I know I can trust him. He makes me so happy."

"I'm happy for you, Felicity. You deserve the best. So when can I meet him?"

Felicity laughed at the thought of her nerdy awkward over protective half brother meeting her strong and godlike boyfriend.

"He'll be gone for a few weeks" she said not wanting to elaborate, sure Barry will worry about her worrying about him, "but maybe when he comes back. I really want you to meet him, Bar."

"I can't wait to meet your Greek God."

"Please don't call him My Greek God in front of him."

"I can't promise anything." Barry said laughing at her. "I got to go to work. Talk to you soon."

"Okay. Bye."

Felicity hung up. She realised Oliver was not on the phone half way through her call and recalling how clearly she heard his conversation with Thea last night, she figured he must have heard most of this.

"You can come in now," she said putting the sheets up to cover her naked body.

Oliver opened the door, a smile on his face.

"So I am a Greek God send from Heaven to make millions of babies to you?" he said grinning.

"Oh shut up!" she said throwing a pillow to him. "You were never supposed to know that!"

He sat down next to her, his hands on either side of her thighs yet not touching her and gently kissed her lips.

"Good morning," she said.  
Felicity kissed him again but this time she ran her tongue on his lips and he spread his lips enough for her to taste him, her body craving for more touching.

"Good morning to you too." Oliver said breaking the kiss. "Breakfast will be there in thirty minutes. I thought you'd like a shower before breakfast." Oliver told her getting up and offering her his hand.

Felicity couldn't help but smile seeing him wearing only his boxer and she could not miss his morning erection calling for her. She bit her lower lip, her mind imagining dozen of ways she could take care of it.

"Eyes up here, Miss Smoak." he said lust in his eyes.

She didn't say anything pushing the sheets on the side and getting up. She was totally naked and not shy about it. She could see the way he looked at her, his eyes traveled down her body and she could see him get harder. She walked right by him making her way to the bathroom, not touching him. She turned the shower on and waited of moment for the water to heat. She heard him come in but still didn't turn back. He didn't moove either enjoying the view.

Felcity stepped under the hot shower her sore muscles welcoming the heat. She felt him sneak behind her after a few minutes, he seized the loofah and her vanilla shower gel. Felicity still didn't turn around. Oliver started cleaning her back then made his way to her ass he spent an extra time caressing. He kneeled down behind her taking care of her long sexy legs. Then he motionned for her to turn around and she did as asked. He, then, slowly made his way up her body, letting the loofah fall on the floor, he started washing her with his bare hands, his fingers taking extra time between her legs and on her breasts.

Watching him wash her was so erotic, the water slowly cleaned her and Oliver stood up. Once again, his gaze was so intense that Felicity could feel her insight burn just looking into his eyes. His fingers found her clit and started playing with it. Her body arched at the sensation and then she felt one of his finger making its way to her entrance and penetrate her slowly. Then an other one. She held on to his shoulder feeling her legs shake. Oliver started pumping his fingers in and out, his thumb now playing with her clit. And all that still looking straight into her eyes. He wanted to see her cry out of pleasure. She was so sexy when she was crying his name, he would certainly never get tired of making her come over and over again.

"Oh Oliver!"

"Let go, Felicity." he said and she exploded under his fingers.

He put his arm around her to support her knowing her legs were too shaky to do it. She rested her head on his shoulder, trying to get her body and her breathing under control.

"Is it always gonna be like this?" she asked still panting.

"I don't know. I've never experienced anything like this before. But I surely hope it will." Oliver answered. "I'm sure I'll never get tired of hearing you scream my name when you come." he added kissing her shoulders.

"Now I want to hear you scream my name." she said before getting on her knees and taking him into her mouth without any warning.

Oliver had to hold to the walls when he felt her lips encircle his cock. While her hand was playing with his balls, her mouth was sucking and taking him deeper with every pump. He looked at her and seeing her sucking him put him to the edge.

"Felicity" he moaned, his hand resting on her head.

He was very close to come and was about to push her away but when she looked up, he could see that she wasn't planning on stopping and was ready to taste him. That look was the most sexy thing he has ever seen and in seconds he was filling her mouth with his juice crying out her name.

This was exactly the kind of shower she would enjoy every morning, Felicity thought while letting the hot water wash over their entangled bodies.


	13. Chapter 13

Felicity had always been the kind of person that always needed to do something. She needed to be busy. Back in college, she even took extra courses because she had a two hours free period on Tuesdays. She never slept in, even when she was sick, she had to get up and work on something. As a child, it would drive her mother crazy. She would chase her around the appartment to get her back to bed. So when she asked Oliver what he had plan for the day, she was surprised about how much she loved his answer. 

"Nothing." he simply stated opening the door to the room service. 

Well, maybe she loved his answer because she knew that they would actually be pretty busy with each other but still. The idea of doing nothing with Oliver was very tempting and she couldn't wait to not do anything with him all day long. 

They settled on the glass table in the living room and ate in silence. That was one thing Oliver used to hate. Silence always made him uncomfortable. Reminding him of the dead silence that always reigned in the Queen's manor. The place was always so big and so empty. Even after Thea's birth, it remained silent. Her mother always had headaches and they both had to play quietly, even more when their dad was home. Oliver hated the silence, it scared him more than the dark as a child. 

"I've always be scared of the dark," Felicity said eating her pancakes "My mum is very loud so silence was never really an option in our home. Even when it was just the two of us. But growing up in a city like Vegas, you don't see a lot of dark so it was scary. But there is just so many other thing I'm scared of, like kangoroos or evil clowns, or regular clowns."

"Kangoroos?" Oliver asked his interest picked. 

"Yes, they are just so weird with their short arms, I just don't trust them," she said miming the animal with her arms. 

"So we'll probably never visit Australia then." Oliver stated drinking his coffe. 

"What? I've never said that. I mean, Australia is a pretty big place, I'm sure it's big enough for the Kangoroos and me. And I love koalas." 

"I know you do."

"How do you know that?" 

"That one time, I saw you at the coffee shop, you were wearing pandas flats, and an other time, you had a red t-shirt with a big panda head on it. So I figured you might like them." 

"You noticed my flats?" she said surprised by his remark. 

"Well, yeah. I mean, it was you, so I noticed everything."

She smiled at him and kissed him on the cheek. 

"You didn't notice about me back then?" he asked "Except that I was a Greek God?" he teased her.

"You'll never let this go, won't you?"

"Nope!" he said laughing. 

They ate the rest of their breakfast in perfect silence, just smiling at each other. 

"So you really didn't plan anything?" Felicity asked him once they finished their meal. 

"Actually I have one thing plan." 

"Care to share?" Felicity asked. 

"I plan on spending the day in bed with you, making you come in a hundred different ways." he said kissing her knuckes. 

Felicity loved that plan. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------

The least he could say was that when Oliver had a plan, he sticked to it. They spend the entire day in bed, and he found a lot of different ways to make her cry out his name. And Felicity enjoyed every one of them. But sex was not all they did all day. Oliver is a Greek God but still, the man need his rest. They talked a lot, but more about the small things. 

"What's your favorite color?" Felicity asked once the burgers they ordered for lunch arrived. 

"Green."

"What kind of grren?"

"Dark green. The green of nature, dark and full of like." he explained while digging into his own burger. "Yours?" 

"Well I used to love red but now, I think it's blue …" she said looking him in the eyes. 

"What kind of blue?" he asked smirking knowing her answer from the way she was looking at him.

"Like your eyes." she said smiling at him. 

Those beautiful blue eyes she could loose herself into. Those blue eyes that made her feel safe and loved but also so hot when they turn dark from lust. Oliver couldn't help smiling. He never liked his eyes, his mother's eyes but now he was thankful for them. 

"Favorite movie?"

"I don't really like movies …" before he finish his sentence, he saw the shock in Felicity's eyes like he said something very offensive. 

"TV?" she asked the showk not leaving her face. 

"Hum … I'm not sure …" 

"Oh my God, Oliver. You don't watch movies or TV? What is the last movie you watched?"

"Thea made me watch The Notebook."

"Okay, that is a must seen. Have you seen any Star Wars?" he shaked his head. "Lord of the rings?" Still shaking. "Oh God! Do you know who Doctor Who is?" 

"Hum … is he on Grey's Anatomy? Thea loved that show."

"OH MY GOD! We need to do something about this!"

"Or we could have sex again." his hand on her thighs. 

"We could do that but …" she said his hands going higher and higher. " but we'll have to take care of your lack of culture later." 

"Sure," he said kissing her now. 

They spend much of the day in bed, making each other scream in pleasure, but Felicity managed to make him watch half of the first Lord of the rings when Oliver's phone rang. 

"Hey, Tommy! … Not much. … I don't know, wait a second." he said before turning to Felicity. "Tommy and Laurel are going out for dinner tonight and they want to know if we'd want to tag along?"

"You're asking me if I want to go on a double date with your bestfriend and your ex-girlfriend?" She said not sure about how she actually felt about this.

"More like a double date with two of my closest friends. But we don't have to go."

"No, let's go." She said, sensing Oliver wanted her to know both Tommy and Laurel more. "It'll be fun." 

It will be, right? I mean what could go wrong? 

\----------------------

Felicity was feeling a little awkward sitting accross from Laurel now that she knew about her shared past with Oliver. It was also hard for her to understand how it looked so easy for Tommy. She couldn't help but see more than just friendship in the way Laurel looked at Oliver. There was something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"Are you okay?" Oliver asked.

She tried to give him a reassuring smile.

"You're too quiet."

"I'm fine," she said her hand covering his on her thigh.

She couldn't tell him him about her discomfort because she could't understand where it came from herself. Well, that was not entirely true. She knew exqctly where it came from. You know this place called jealousy? Well this was coming straight from there. She was being a jealous girlfriend, that was all. It was all in her head. 

"So Felicity, Oliver told us you were a genius." Tommy started.

"Well, I don't know if genius is the right word but I'm pretty good with computer."

"From what I've heard, you're the best in your field." Laurel added sipping his wine.

"Where did you hear that?" She asked surprised at her comment.

"Well I kind of googled you and if half of what I learn from the internet is true, you are indeed a genius."

She googled Felicity. Okay that was weird and not just in her head. 

"You google her?" Oliver asked his tone a little harsh.

"Well, of course. You're my friend, I am looking out for you."

"I don't need you to look out for me Laurel. So please don't ever google my girlfriend again."

Felicity noticed how Laurel's jaw clenched at his use of the world girlfriend and Oliver's hand tightened around Felicity's.

"So you are a genius!" Tommy said trying to disolve the tension that was growing at the table. 

"I guess you could say that. I mean if Google says so."

"Then let me ask you something. What the hell are you doing with this guy?" He laughed pointing at Oliver.

"Hey!" Oliver said trying to sound offended.

"Don't get me wrong, brother. I love you and all but come on, Felicity, you could do so much better." 

"Well, Tommy, I don't need to be a genius to know how amazing this man is. So I think I chose correctly." Felicity answered kissing Oliver on the cheek.

He smiled at her and sqeezed her hand. 

"Well it is refreshing to see you finally decided to stop falling for the dumb ones!" Tommy said toasting Oliver.

"Excuse me, I need to use the restroom." Laurel said leaving the table.

Tommy didn't say anything but Felicity knew he said that last comment on purpose. At this moment, Oliver's phone buzzed and his body tensed seeing the caller I.D.

"I have to get that." He got up and squeezed Felicity's shoulder. "It's Diggle." He added stepping outside to answer.

So Felicity was left alone with Tommy.

"I feel like I should be apologizing for Laurel's behavior." He said breaking the silence. 

"No need. I understand." Felicity said trying to sound reassuring.

"Really? Well you really are a genius cause I don't understand." Tommy started looking towards the restroom. "I don't understand why after all those years and after everything Oliver put her through, she still cares for him so deeply. I mean I love him, he's my brother but he was a very bad friend and an even worse boyfriend to her. So why?"

Felicity could feel the despair in Tommy's voice. And she realised she was wrong to think it was easy for him. It must be so hard for him to be jealous of the way his fiancée felt about his bestfriend.

"I don't know. But from what Oliver told me, he was her first love. And your first love is something that shapes the person you are," she said trying to hold the memories of her first love at bay, she certainly didn't want Tommy to see her cry, "it's something you'll always carry with you. It must be hard for her having him still in her life. It must get confusing sometimes."

Tommy didn't say anything for a few minutes thinking about Felicity's words. He felt like she was tlking from experience and wanted to ask her more about her first love but thought it was way too soon. 

"He loves you." He said surprising Felicity.

She blushed and smiled at him. 

"How do you know?"

"The way he looks at you. He has never looked anyone like this before."

Felicity felt her cheek turn even more red and her heart filled with love. She looked at Oliver still on his phone outside. This man loved her, she knew it, he told her so, on many occasions, but hearing it from his bestfriend, one of the person that really knew him, it felt even more real. 

"And you love him too."

She turned to face him, a wide smile on her face. 

"I do," was all she could say.

"Good, he will need you when he comes back. Maybe not this time, but once he gets ugly and he starts loosing people he cares about. He will try to shut everyone out. He's not good at dealing with those kind of feelings, never has been. But hold on to him. I joke around but I love this man like a brother. And I know him better than he thinks."

Felicity was genuinely surprised by Tommy's words. Her first impression of this man was so wrong. She saw him like a rich boy who got bored with his life and decided to play soldier. But he was a good man and he cared about Oliver deeply. 

"I'll do everything I can." Felicity said not wanting to make any promises she couldn't hold.   
Tommy nodded. They didn't say anything more. Sharing their love and care for Oliver brought them to an unspoken understanding. 

Laurel came back from the restroom looking more put together. Tommy whispered something in her ears before joining Oliver outside.

"I'm sorry." Laurel said sipping her water. "I wish I could put it all on my pregnancy hormones but it will be too easy." 

"You're pregnant?"

"I thought Oliver told you. I told him before he left."

"He didn't say." Felicity made a mental note to talk to him about it. 

"Anyway. This is no excuse. I know I can get a little over protective when it comes to Ollie. He doesn't think so himself but he is a good man."

"The best I know."

"So you understand. He's my friend."

"But he is also your ex boyfriend." 

"That you talked about" she said, her cheeks turning red.

"Yes. So even if I understand your opinion as Oliver's friend. You can imagine it is hard for me to respect it as his ex girlfriend." Felicity said wanting to make sure Laurel understood the boundaries.

"I know who Ollie is, Felicity."

"You know who he used to be, this Ollie you keep talking about. But from everything he told me, he has become someone else, something else. And I think I know this Oliver better than you. So stop pretending all of this is just because he is your friend, not with me."

Laurel didn't get a chance to respond at Felicity's words. Both men came back to the table.

"Everything okay, hon?" Oliver asked feeling the tension the second he came close to the table.

The two women were facing each other, their cheeks flushed, a fake smile on both their faces.

"Of course. What did Diggle want?" Felicity asked changing the conversation.

Oliver was not stupid but decided it was better to wait until they were alone to ask about this.

"The team is having a get together tomorrow night at a bar and he was trying to convince me to come."

"Come on man! You have to come! Everybody is going to be here, it will be good for the team spirit to be together before we leave. Felicity tell him he has to." Tommy said excited like a little boy on Christmas morning.  
"I would never tell him what to do." She said, Oliver smirking at Tommy. "But I am certainly going." She added.

Oliver turned to her.

"What?"

"I told you I wanted to meet Diggle, and the rest of your team. So I'll be going. With or without you."


	14. Chapter 14

Oliver put his sweater pants on before answering the hotel door. It was still pretty early, Felicity was still sleeping. They talked a bit about Laurel's behaviour when they got back. Felicity didn't like her, or more precisely she didn't like what Oliver still meant to Laurel. 

If Oliver was honest with himself, he would recognize that there was time he noticed the way she still look at him and that it made him very uncomfortable. But Laurel was also his friend, and after everything he put her through when they were dating, a part of him still needed to make amends. But Felicity didn't like her. Of course she would never ask him not to see her but she needed him to know how she felt. 

After their talk, they took a long bath and fell asleep after two very amazing rounds of sex. He woke up a few minutes ago and was enjoying the view of Felicity's naked body when he heard knocking at the door. 

"What ..." he didn't get a chance to finish his sentence when a young woman threw her small body in his arms.

"God, how I missed you!" she said squeezing him tight. 

Once the shock had pass, Oiver closed his arms around the small girl, pushing her even closer into his embrace. He smelled her hair and could not help but smile at the familiar scent of coconut.

"I missed you too, Speedy."

They must have stayed like this for a long time because Felicity came to the door surprised not to find Oliver in bed. When she saw Thea, she thanked the internet Gods she took the time to put on a short and one of Oliver's t-shirt. 

"Felicity!" Thea screamed when she noticed her. 

She let go of her brother and almost ran into Felicity's arms, hugging her like they have known each other forever.

"It's so good to see you again!"

"You too, Thea." Felicity laughed hugging her back. 

The young Queen let go of Felicity. Oliver closed the door and came to stand next to Felicity. Thea was facing the couple standing in front of her and couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh my God! You guys look so good together." She said.

Felicity and Oliver couldn't help but glance at each other. They did look good together. 

"You have this We've been having a lot of sex glow and it looks really good on you both." 

"Speedy!"

Felicity's cheeks turned to red. 

"What? It is a compliment." She said making her way to the couch.

Oliver got closer to Felicity, his body needing to feel hers closer. She unconsciously did the same. He whispered I'm sorry into her ears. 

"Speedy, as happy as I am to see you, why are you here? How are you here?"

"Well I was really bumped I couldn't see you before you ship out to wherever they're sending you. Then Dad sais he had to go to DC for an emergency meeting at QC branch here. So I thought I could take my chance and come with him."

Oliver froze. His father was in DC. His father was in DC. Felicity must have felt his all body tense, she immediately got closer to him, her hands stroking his arm, making him feel she was right there with him and he relaxed a bit.

"Thea. Does dad know ..."

"Of course not. You asked me not to tell them. So I didn't." Oliver let out a breath. "Even if I think this is stupid. They have the right to know their son is going to war."

"I told you, it's just a reckon mission." He saw the look of worry on his siter's face so he came to sat next to her, taking her hands in his. "No combat. Just surveillance and information gathering."

"This time maybe. But next time ..."

"I'll be okay."

He had no way of knowing if he'll be okay.. He hoped so but making this kind of promise to Thea was not fair, Felicity thought. She understood that all Oliver wanted was for his baby sister not to   
worry. But he was lying to her. And it looked so easy to him. The smile on his face while he was reassuring her looked so real. It scared her a bit. 

"I'll go get dressed." She said feeling the need to run away from this conversation.

"I'm so sorry to barge in your little honeymoon like this," Thea started. "I'll take you both to lunch to make you forgive me! My treat!"

"You mean Dad's treat!"

"Well technically it is his money but it's my name on the credit card!"

Felicity laughed with her. Life must seem so easy for Thea. She loved how she saw the world. 

"I'll go say hi to Mommy and Daddy To Be downstairs. Let's meet in the lobby in 20 minutes."

She kissed her brother on the cheek before giving a long hug to Felicity.

\-----------------------------------------------------

Felicity was quiet. Too quiet. In the short time Oliver got to know her, he quickly had figure that a silent Felicity was never a good sign.

"Are you okay?" He asked when she came out of the bathroom, a towel barely covering her naked body.

She didn't answer right away. She came to sit on the edge of the bed and freed her hair that now covered her shoulders. Oliver was still amazed by how beautiful she was. 

"You lied to her." She said facing him. "Even if I understand why, I didn't like it. And what scares me the most is how easyly you did it."

"It was not easy." He said sitting on the bed next to her. "I hate lying to her. But she's my sister. My job, even if I usually suck at it, is to protect her."

"By lying to her."

"If necessary."

"A lie is never necessary."

"You can't understand." He said standing up. 

"Because I don't have any siblings? Come on Oliver. I love Barry like he was my blood and I would never lie to him. I love him too much for that."

"What do you want me to tell her, Felicity? " He didn't mean to yell but his tone was harsh and he felt her body tense. The last thing he wanted to do was to scare her. He took a deep breath. "I can't tell her that there is a chance I won't come back? If not this time, maybe the next one. That I am scared to death to die out there, not jus because I want to live but because the idea of her pain if I do is killing me."

"Oliver." Felicity said, reaching out to him, he took her hand and she pulled him to sit next to her before sitting on his lap. "She needs to hear it. She is stronger than you think. She needs to get a chance to be there for you as well."

Oliver didn't say anything but he rested his head on her chest, the sound of her heart calming his own crazy heartbeat.. They stayed like this until Oliver's phone buzzed.

"She's in the lobby. We should go." He sais getting up. He headed towards the bedroom's door.

"Oliver?" He stopped and turned back to her. "Don't ever lie to me like this."

"Never."

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

Just like Felicity knew she was in love with Oliver the first time they talked, she knew she loved Thea from their first meeting outside this restaurant in Sarling City and she loved her even more now.

Thea was fierce and strong and also funny and sweet. She was a force of nature and Felicity knew once you had this young woman's love, your life was changed forever.

"Tommy mentioned something about you being a genius." She said when their order was taken by the waitress whom looked a little too much at Oliver to Felicity's taste.

"Kind of. I went to MIT and now I work at Palmer Tech."

"OMG! Do you know Ray Palmer? Have you ever seen him? Talk to him?" Felicity could hear the excitement in her voice. 

"He's my boss. And I've been working on a project with him for the past few weeks."

"Oh My God! He is so sexy ! Isn't it?" Thea asked.

"Thea!" Oliver interjected sounding offended.

"What? She may be your girlfriend but she is still a woman with two eyes!" She said before turning back to Felicity. "So?"

Felicity couldn't help but laugh at Thea's excitement but even more at Oliver's face.

"He is a pretty handsome man," she said, not looking at Oliver, "but he can be kind of creepy sometimes."

"What do you mean creepy?" Oliver asked, with concern in his voice. 

"Who cares? With his body and his pretty face, he can be a creep from time to time." Thea said when the waitress came back with their order.

Once again Felicity noticed how much the woman lingered on Oliver. She hated this feeling growing inside of her. She was never the jealous type but all she wanted to do right now was scream at that woman, and to all women in the world, that this man was hers. Oliver seemed totally oblivious to the woman which only made her linger more.

"I made sure they put extra cheese for you," she said putting Oliver's plate in front of him. "Do you like cheese?" Oliver didn't even look at her.

"Yes, thank you."

"Do you have everything you need?" She asked her hand coming to rest on Oliver's chair.

He put his hand on Felicity's on the table.

"I have everything I need right here." He stated only looking at Felicity.

"Oh, well, if you change your ..."

"Oh my God! Really girl? This is so pathetic! Can't you see he's taken? And look at that woman! Jeez just go before you embarrass yourself even more!" Thea snapped and Felicity couldn't help but laugh as the woman's cheeks turn red and she left the table.

"Thank you," Oliver said.

"I will never understand what women see in you, Ollie."

"I do." Felicity said squeezing Oliver's hand.

This man was hers. Just like she was all his. She could see it in his eyes, and feel it in her bones.

"You guys are so cute it makes me want to puke." Thea said.

During the lunch Thea was very curious about Felicity's work, and not just because of Ray Palmer, and Felicity couldn't get tired of hearing about Oliver and Thea as children. She loved how Oliver's eyes would light up every time he talked about Thea.

As promised, Thea paid for lunch and as they were exiting the restaurant when Oliver froze right in the middle of the sidewalk.

"What ..." Felicity started saying but she stopped spotting a black limo parked in front of the restaurant.

"Shit!" was all Thea could say. "I'm sorry, Ollie. He said he'd be in meetings all day."

A middle aged man exited the car and stepped into the sidewalk. He walked straight towards them, his eyes never leaving Oliver. Oliver was holding Felicity's hand and she squeezed it not saying anything.

"Oliver."

"Dad."

"Thea, get in the car, please."

"But Dad I was just ..."

"Young girl, you lied to me so please just get in the car, I'll deal with you later."

"Can I at least say goodbye."

Mr Queen nodded. She hugged her brother before turning to Felicity.

"Take care of him." She whispered in her ears.

Felicity hugged her back thinking Oliver didn't know how much the people around him loved him. Thea climbed into the limo and Felicity turned to the man standing in front of her. Actually not directly in front of her because Oliver was partly shielding her with his body.

"I didn't know she was gonna come see me." Oliver stated in a tone Felicity never heard him use before.

"What are you doing in DC?" His father asked.

"I'm being deployed in a couple of days."

"Malcolm said you enrolled with Tommy. You would follow this boy anywhere, especially into trouble."

Oliver didn't say anything.

"How long will you be gone?"

"A few weeks." Oliver answered coldly.

"I see you are enjoying your last days here ...." Robert said looking Felicity from head to toe.

Instinctively, Oliver drew Felicity towards him.

"Dad, this is Felicity Smoak."

"Oh this one has a name!" Robert said laughing..

"Yes and she also talks so please address me directly."

Oliver couldn't stop the smile on his face.

"Dad, Felicity is my girlfriend."

"Really? Well let's hope you treat her better than the previous one. Speaking of Laurel, I heard she   
is expecting. I hope it's not yours."

Felicity could not stop herself. She put herself in front of Oliver and Robert Queen took a step back surprised by her movement.

"How dare you?"

"Excuse me?" Robert took an other step back, surprised by the short blonde girl.

"How dare you speak to him like this? What kind of parent insult their child like this? Your son is about to go fight a war and all you can do is insult him! You should be ashamed of yourself! It is very surprising that Oliver managed to become such a good man with someone like you as a father. Now if you'll excuse us, we have better things to do than stand here listening to your crap. I wish I could say it was nice meeting you, Mr Queen." Then she turned her heels, holding Oliver's hand, and started walking away. Oliver didn't even look at his father. He followed Felicity.

The hotel was just around the corner but Oliver could not wait one more second. He gently pushed Felicity in a small alley and pressed her against a brick wall, his body against hers. 

"That was the sexiest thing I've ever seen."

"Me yelling at your father. God, I was yelling at your father. Oh shit I yelled at Robert Queen." she said when she realised what had just happened.

"Nobody has ever done anything like that for me. It was so …"

"I think sexy is the word you're looking for."

He smiled at her and pressed his erection against her thighs to make her feel how sexy she was. Then he took her mouth, devouring her. Felicity put her hands on his back, pushing him closer. Oliver's hand came to rest on her ass before pulling her up so she could put her legs around him. He pushed his hardness a little more to her wet center. She moaned and started moving against him. 

"Not here." she whispered between kisses. 

He pulled away slowly and took her hand. 

"I need to get you to bed right now," he said leading the way to the hotel. 

Oliver didn't know where he found the strength not to take her right there in thi alley against the brick wall. It took them just a few minutes to get back to their hotel room. As soon as he closed the door her mouth was on his, their bodies pressing against each other. He deepened the kiss even more pushing her against the wall, her hands coming around his neck then pulling his hair. He slided his hand under her dress, resting a few seconds on her ass before pulling her panties down. 

Oliver got on his knee and took her panties off slowly before burrying gis face between her thighs, tasting her and making her legs shake with his now famous magic tongue. She was close to climax when he brutaly stopped. He stood up and turned her around so she was facing the wall, her hands resting on its hard surface. She heard his zipper go down and she couldn't help but moan knowing what was gonna happen. He lifted her dress a bit before sliding into her in one struck. She screamed his name holding on to the wall. Oliver's arm came to rest on her breast, holding her while he was moving in and out of her at a crazy pace. 

"Mine" he whispered in her ears. 

Felicity grabbed his ass pushing him deeper inside her. 

"Mine" she said back.


	15. Chapter 15 : Meet the Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is time for Felicity to meet Oliver's team. It is also time for Laurel to hear some harsh truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the comments and the kuddos! You are all so sweet! It is hard for me to write in english and I really want to thank all of you for your understanding. You are truly amazing!

Oliver could tell Slade was the one who picked the bar for their little gathering the minute he saw the front and even more once they got inside. Once they went through the thick glass door, they were welcomed by a smell of beer and smoke that had Felicity pinch hern nose. They shared a look after looking around the big room. It was pretty crowded and loud, everything they both hated. But Oliver took Felicity's hand and walked passed the bar and through the croud to find the the private room Diggle told him they would be. 

" An Irish Pub ? Really ? " Oliver said to Diggle when they made their way to the back room where the all team was already partying. 

Their afternoon delight turned into an early evening delight and they were already an hour late. To be fair, Felicity had taken some time to get ready. It felt like she wanted to impress the team and especially Diggle even more than she had wanted to impress Oliver on their first date. 

" I knew it'd be a mistake to let Slade take care of the reservations but he insisted and I really didn't want to do it. " Diggle said laughing. " Good to see you, Oliver. " 

The two men hugged before John turned to Felicity. 

"Whoa! You look like a wall!"

Oliver and Diggle chuckled at her commentary. 

"I mean … your body. It's like so huge," she said touching Diggle's shoulders. "I mean, seriously, have you seen this?" she asked turning to Oliver. "But your face is not like a wall," she added tilting her head like shhe always did when she was trying to solve a puzzle. "Your face is like a panda! I love pandas! Not kangaroo. I don't like kangoroos. They're just so weird with theirr tiny arms but so ready to kill you. I don't like kangoroos but I like your arms, and your face and you. I like you."

"Well I am glad I'm not a kangoroo," Diggle said smiling at the tiny blonde he was already falling for. "You must be the famous Felicity Smoak. " he said holding up his hand. 

She took it. Amazed by how big his hands were but not saying anything deciding she had already said enough weird things. 

" I don't know about famous, I mean I'm sure Oliver told you a bit about me, not that I think I'm so important you two should be talking about me a lot. I'm sure you have more interesting things to talk about like army stuffs, guns, fighting things … And I'm gonna stop talking right now. " she said hiding her face behind Oliver's shoulder. 

Both men were now laughing looking at her. 

" It is so nice to finally meet you, Felicity. "

" She was so nervous to meet you she changed her outfit four times. " Oliver said and Felicity slapped his arm. 

" Oliver ! He was not suppose to know that!"

" Well, fourth is the charm. You look lovely. " John said smiling at her. 

" Johnny, are you hitting on an other woman while your wife has to listen to Slade talk about all the different Irish beer that exist ? And the man is not even Irish."

A beautiful woman came to Diggle's side and wrapped her arms around him. John's face light up when he saw her and Oliver wondered if that was what his face looked like when he was looking at Felicity. He hoped so. 

" Felicity, this is my wife, Lyla Michaels. "

" Nice to meet you, I've heard so much about you. "

"Really? Don't believe everything that one says about me." Felicity said teasingly slapping Oliver's arm again. 

"So you are not an amazing genius geek?" Lyla said laughing.

"Oh I prefer the term nerd but yes that is kind of true." They both laughed and started talking about Felicity's job which seemed to interest Lyla a lot. 

"We should get something to drink and let these two talk business," Diggle said leading Oliver to the bar. 

Felicity watched the two men talk at the bar while waiting for their drinks. She couldn't believe Oliver was leaving the next day. The time they had was not enough. She needed more. And the hard part was that she had no idea when he was coming back. The pain in her stomach started to grow again. 

"I wish I could tell you it gets easier," Lyla said looking at John and Oliver. "But it doesn't."

"Oliver said you were in the army too. Does that make it easier? I mean I have absolutely no idea what will happen to him out there. I don't know what being a soldier mean."

"I'm not sure it helps. I mean, I do understand his commitment better than anyone. But knowing how hard it is over there, knowing what he will have to face, the horror, the death, the hard decisions. I'm not sure it makes it easier."

"Why did you quit?"

"I got pregnant. And as much as I truly believe you can be a mom and a soldier, I didn't want to. I found a job in the private sector. The pay is way better and the risks a little less high. I get to keep doing what I love and be a mom."

"What is it exactly that you do?"

"I work for a private company that handles security for a lot of other companies. We do bodyguards, event security as well as cyber security." 

"I know a bit about that …"

They were still talking business when Oliver and John came back with their drinks. They all joined the group and Oliver introduced Felicity to everyone. 

She loved everyone. They were all so nice and warm with her. She could see how much they respected and loved Oliver. Once again, she wondered if Oliver knew this. Slade was a little too caveman for her taste but Shado seemed to be able to keep his maleness at check. Rene and Floyd were trying to flirt with her just to piss off Oliver and it worked a little bit. It was nice to see him in the middle of his team. He was very different with them, didn't talk much. She coudln't help but notice all the looks he was sharing with Diggle when the others were saying stupid things or acting like kids. John and Oliver were the parents in this little family they've built and she loved it. 

They had been there for an hour when Tommy and Laurel joined them all. Felicity had not talk to Laurel since their dinner and she didn't want to talk to her again. Oliver knew it and did everything he could to not let the two of them alone together. He was glued to Felicity's side all night and she was thankful for it.

But at some point, Oliver had to let go of Felicity to go play pool with Slade as he kept promising him for the past two hours. So Felicity was now sitting at a table with Shado and Lyla, talking about their plans for Christmas. Laurel came to sit across from Felicity and joined the conversation. After a few minutes Slade called for Shado to help him beat Oliver and she left the table. Lyla left a moment later needing to check on the baby sitter so the two women were now alone. 

"Look, I really want to apologize …"

"There is no need, really." Felicity said cutting Laurel's off. 

She didn't need to hear her apologies. Especially when she knew they were not real.

"I just don't want you to hate me."

"I don't hate you, Laurel. It's this all situation, it's just so … complicated."

"And it's all my fault. I don't have any feeling for Oliver. I mean I love him but not like you think. I am carrying his bestfriend's child," she said her hand resting on her small bump. "He's my friend. Nothing more."

"We both know it's not true." Felicity said looking straight into Laurel's eyes. "He was your first love. No matter how much he hurt you in the past, he is still your first love. And no matter what you do, it will never change." Her breathing accelerated. "He will always have a special place in your heart. That I can understand, believe me. What I can't understand is why you seem to be so eager to keep him in your life. He betrayed you. He hurt you. He broke you. He made you feel like you were nothing. And yet, you're still holding up to him. That is what I can't understand." Felicity could feel the tears rolling down her cheeks. 

"Felicity, are you okay?" Laurel asked her hand covering Felicity's on the table. 

Felicity could feel the warmth of the teardrops making their way to her lips tasting the salted water on her tongue. She stood up and made her way to the front door without turning back to see if Laurel was following her. She needed air. She needed to be alone. 

What the hell was wrong with her. Why was she crying over him? Why was she even thinking about him? After all these years. When she now found a good man that loved her and treated her right. Maybe it was because she was about to say goodbye to Oliver, she didn't know but she hated herself for even thinking about him. It took her so long to get over what happened, to move on from alll the hate and pain, to rebuild herself and now she was letting it take over again. 

"Felicity?" Diggle was standing behind her. 

She didn't move. They stood like this for a moment his presence reassuring her. Then she felt him move closer, he put a hand on her shoulder and she let out a breath. 

"I'm okay." she said more to herself than to him. 

"I know." John said, his hand still on her shoulder. "I heard what you said to Laurel. I don't know what happened to you, but you sounded a little bit scared. So I wanted to make sure you knew you were safe here."

Safe. Yes, she did feel safe these past few weeks and even now, in a dark alley with a man she met just a couple hours ago, she felt safe. 

"Thank you, John. I … I'll be okay."

"I can't imagine how hard it must be for you to let him go." John said coming to stand in front of her. "But know that I'll have his back over there?" She smiled noticing that he didn't promise her to bring him back. "You make him so happy."

"I do?"

"I've known him for a little while now and he has always been kind of lost. Like he didn't know who he was. But it changed since the day he met you. He seems to have found himself and even if he still thinks he doesn't deserve it, he is happy."

"He makes me happy too," Felciity said, wipping off her tears.

"Good. Now, what do you say we go back inside and get an other drink?" he asked, offering her his arm. 

She slide her hand around his arm and followed him to the back door. 

\----------------------------------------------

"What did you say to her?" Oliver was mad. 

"Nothing, I tried to apologize, Ollie."

Oliver sighed. Laurel came to him and told him Felicity was crying and that she left the bar. He saw red instantly. Why would she be crying? Why would she left? He searched the bar and was now in the street out front looking for her. 

"Why wouldn't you just leave us alone?" he almost screamed at Laurel. 

"Because you are my friend, Ollie."

"No I'm not." he was screaming now. 

"What do you mean?"

"Oh come on, Laurel! After everything that happened between us, after all the bad things I've done to you, how could you want to be my friend?"

"Ollie …"

"Be honest, if you weren't with Tommy, you and I would not even talk to each other."

"You can't say that."

"I can and I should have said it a while ago."

"But … after everything … we were in love once, Oliver, you can't forget that."

"You were in love, Laurel. I never loved you."

He knew those words were too harsh but he also knew it was time for her to hear them. 

"That's not true ..."

"God, Laurel. Face the truth. If I ever loved you, do you think I would have cheated on you every time I had a chance?"

"You were just lost and scared …"

"Stop making excuses for me. I was a jerk and I was not in love with you. Now that I know what true love is, I can tell you, I was never in love with you. I can't even look at an other woman than Felicity now, so the idea of cheating on her is just impossible. That is what it's like when you truly love someone. The simple idea of hurting them in any way is unbearable. So no, Laurel, I was never in love with you. I wish I had been but I was not and I'll never be."

"Is everything okay?"

Tommy opened the bar's door and was looking at Laurel, she was shaking and tears were rolling down her cheeks. Oliver's words were still echoing in her head. 

"Have you seen Felicity?" Oliver asked not even looking at Laurel. 

"Yes, she's with Diggle inside."

Oliver passed by him and ran into the bar. 

\---------------------------------------------------

She was okay. She was here. She did not leave. Oliver repeated those words in his head while watching Felicity sitting at the bar talking to Diggle. She had a sad look on her face, he had never seen her sad. In the little time they've known each other, Oliver had seen her angry face, her happy face, her pleasure face, her disappointing face but never this one. He had no idea what Laurel told her to make her look so sad. He hated her for that. 

But he also hated himself for how he just talked to Laurel. He had to say those words, actually he should have told her a long time ago but maybe not in that way. He hurt her, again. But he's been living a lie when it came to his relationship with Laurel. After everything he did to her, he couldn't understand how she could still want him in his life. How she still wanted to be his friend. Felicity was right, it was not okay. But now it was over. Of course he'll still see her, she was having a baby with his bestfriend but things will be different. He just put a barrier between them and it was about time. 

Felicity felt his eyes on her, she could not explain the feeling, she just knew and she smiled before turning to him. Something happened. She knew it the moment she led her eyes on him. He had his worry face on. She didn't like this face, she loved all of his other faces, the grinning one was still her favorite. But not the worry one. She excused herself from Diggle and walked to him. 

"What's wrong?"

"I was about to ask you the same question." Oliver said before caressing her cheek with his thumb. "You've been crying." 

"I'm okay now." she said her hands covering his. 

"Why did you cry?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"No secrets, Felicity."

"I just … I don't want to talk about it now. Just not tonight. But it has nothing to do with you, I promise."

"What did Laurel say to you?"

"Nothing, she … she tried to apologize. And I was kind of awful to her actually."

"Line form behind me."

"What?"

"Let's just say I finally told her things I should have said to her a very long time ago."

At that moment, Tommy came back inside without Laurel. He said something to Diggle before coming to them. 

"Laurel is not feeling good. We're going back to the hotel."

"Tommy, I didn't mean …" Oliver started but Tommy held up his hand cutting him of.

"It was about time she heard whatever you had to tell her. I know she loves me, probably not as much as I love her but this thing between you two had to stop. And I think it will take some time but it will be all for the better. So don't worry, man." He turned to Felicity. "It's always a pleasure to see you, Felicity. I hope we have more time to get to know each other in the future."

"Me too." she said meaning it. 

He left and Oliver let out a breath. 

"Do you know how much you are loved, Oliver."

"What?"

"All these people. Tommy, Thea, Diggle and even Laurel in her own twisted way. They love you so much. And I think you don't even realise it."

"I do. I mean, I know they love me, I just don't understand why." he said those words and felt all the weight of this feeling on his heart. 

Felicity put her hands on either side of his face before kissing him.

"One day, I'll make you see what kind of amazing man you are, and that you deserve to be loved Mr Queen. Even if it takes me my whole life to do it."

"A whole life with you … " he said pushing her closer, "Is that a promise, Miss Smoak?"

"Yes," she whispered before kissing him. 

Diggle was watching them from the bar. There was something happening between these two that reminded him of the start of his relationship with Lyla. Oliver was a lot like his wife used to be. They both felt like they didn't belong, like they were not enough, like they didn't deserve any good in their life. It took Lyla a lot of work and time to realise that she did deserve to be happy and loved. Even if Diggle could not take all the credit, he knew he had a big part in it. 

And Felicity was the reason Oliver was smiling. Of course he smiled before he met her but it was a different smile, a smile of pretend. But the one he had on his face every time Felicity was around or even just mentioned was very different. He was smiling with his heart and soul. His eyes had this light he never saw in him before. 

"They look happy," Lyla said sitting on the stool next to him. 

"Yes."

"You think she'll be strong enough to face whoever he'll become after the war?"

"I think she will." 

Oliver and Felicity took their coats and came to say their goodbyes. 

"I'll see monday morning." Oliver said to Diggle. 

"Yes. Felicity I wish we had more time to get to know each other."

"Me too, John."

Diggle was about to shake her hand but Felicity dived in and took him in her arms hugging him. He smiled and squeezed her tight. 

"Thank you." She whispered just for his ears.

He didn't say anything but gave her a big smile. Oliver took her hand and they left. 


	16. One more day

One more day. That's all they had. One more day before he had to leave. Oliver kept telling her this was just a reckon mission. They had to gather information about this possible target and then simply come back with it. Then the tech guys (Oliver’s words) will analyze every-thing and cross reference it with other intels brought from different sources and agencies. Only then they will know if they were going back or rather when they were going back.

"That doesn't really make me feel better." Felicity said.

She was taking a bath and Oliver was sitting beside the tub, his fingers playing with her wet hair.

"You'll still be in a war zone. So please don't tell me it's safe." Oliver was about to say some-thing but she didn't let him. "Remember your promise, Oliver." He sighed and took her hand. He brought it to his lips and kissed her knuckles one by one. The touch of his lips on her skin made her shiver.

"Okay. I can't tell you it's safe because it's still war. No matter the mission, no matter the men and women I'm fighting alongside with. It's war. So yes, Felicity, it is dangerous. But this mission is the safer I can be over there. Especially with the people you met tonight having my back." "Even Rene and Floyd?" She asked chuckling. "Yes." He said laughing. "They are good people and even better soldiers. I trust them." Felicity didn't say anything to that. Even if she didn’t know those people as well as Oliver, she saw how they all looked at him, like they would follow him to hell and take a bullet for him.

"They respect you, Oliver."

"I don't know about that." "I do. John trusts you and respects you." Oliver didn't say anything but she could see doubt in his eyes. How could he not see how much the people around him loved and respected him was a mystery to her.

"He does Oliver. He respects you and values you. Not just as a soldier but as a friend too."

"You got all that from a five minutes conversation with the guy?"

"I knew it the second I met him."

Oliver was uncomfortable with this conversation, she could see it in the way his body was moving, trying to get away from it.

"Why is it you think you don't deserve to be loved and respected?"

"Humm … Have you met my father?"

"Yes, and sure it explains things but you're an adult now Oliver. You have to realize that you are your own man and you don't need your parent's approval to be happy."

"You're right," he said his hand cupping her cheek. "I just need you." She smiled leaning onto his touch.

"And I just need you."

He leaned over and placed a tender kiss on her lips. He was about to break away when she put her hand on his neck pushing him back to her. She pressed her lips against his and opened her mouth, her tongue looking for his. He gladly let her in.

  
The touch of her tongue on his made him groan deep in his throat. She kept her hand on his neck, maintaining him in place. While she was enjoying his mouth, he slid his hand under the hot water, his shirt getting soaked and made his way to his favorite place on earth. She opened up her legs, letting his fingers find their way. He touched her clit lightly but it made her body arch and the water overflew a bit. But it didn't stop Oliver. He started playing with it between his fingers, moving slowly then accelerating his pace before pinching it. Then he made his way to her entrance and slid two fingers in but didn't move them. He kept still and kissed her, his unmoving fingers still inside her.

"Oliver, please." she said her hand tightening its grip around his neck, which will probably leave some marks.

"What do you need, babe?"

"You."

"I'm right here," he said going a little deeper inside her.

She needed him to move. She needed him to move right now or she was going to explode.

"Please."

"Tell me what you need me to do, Felicity."

"Move. Now. Fast."

"I like it when you're bossy." he said his fingers slipping out then in.

She moaned against his lips exploding around his fingers.

"I'm gonna miss those magic fingers of yours," she said trying to get her breathing back to normal.

"Magic fingers?"

"I said that out loud, didn't I?"

He laughed and kissed her. He helped her get out of the tub and let her dry herself while he went back to the bedroom to get his phone he heard buzzing while he was too busy playing with his magic fingers.

\-------------------------------------------------------

He had 3 missed calls from Thea and even more texts.

"Hey, Speedy. What's going on?"

"Nothing, I mean, I just wanted to talk to you."

"Okay. Are you still in DC?"

"Yes, but we're leaving tonight. Ollie, I'm so sorry about Dad. If I had known …"

"Hey, don't worry, it's okay. I'm used to it by now."

"I just don't understand why they are so hard on you."

"You know why."

"Oh come on, it's all in the past. And they were like that way before this all thing happened."

"Yeah, well, let's just say I'm not the son they thought I'd be."

"Screw them!"

"Thea!"

"What? You're one of the best person I know. And they are the monsters."

"Maybe but they're still our parents. So …"

"Yeah, well I'm thinking about getting adopted."

"Yeah! By whom?"

"I don't know, Felicity is so amazing, do you think her parents would adopt me?"

"Then I would be dating my sister's sister? Isn't that kind of weird?"

"Yeah well incest is kind of cool right now. Haven't you watch Game of Thrones?"

"No. But Felicity talks so much about it that I might not have a choice."

"God I love her so much!" Oliver laughed.

"Ollie, I'm serious. She is amazing."

"That she is," he said watching Felicity walk out of the bathroom.

"And she loves you so much."

"I know."

"I gotta go. I'm gonna miss you so much. Be safe, Ollie. I love you."

"I love you too, Speedy. And don't be too hard on them, they love you."

"In their own twisted way."

He hung up the phone and turned to Felicity. She was sitting on the bed, her tablet on her lap deep into her work he guessed. She had this concentrated look on her face. She was so smart it made her look even more beautiful.

He stepped out and went to take a shower. He was leaving in less than 24 hours. He was leav-ing her in less than 24 hours. He had no idea it would be so hard. It was a pretty safe mission, as he told her, but the next one would probably not be. Yes, he trusted his team and he trusted Diggle more than anyone. But he didn't want to leave her. Now that he found her, now that she was his and he was hers, he just could not imagine sleeping without her next to him, or not being able to touch her. He knew he had to be strong and not show her how scared he was to leave her behind but it was taking him so much energy.

When he stepped out of the shower, Felicity was on the phone.

"No Curtis, I left it on my desk."

He walked to the bed only wearing a towel around his hips and he saw Felicity's eyes linger on his abs for just a little too long. She blushed a bit when she realized he noticed it. Oliver smiled. Women always looked at him with lust and envy but it always made him uncomforta-ble, even when he was taking advantage of his money and fame to sleep around as much as possible, he still hated the way these women looked at him. But he loved how Felicity was looking at him. The sight of his body had a powerful effect on her, she was blushing, her eyes were sparkling with desire and it made him feel so good.

"Yes. The blue one." she kept talking to Curtis while Oliver got closer to the bed and closer to her.

He heard her breathing accelerate and smiled knowing he was the reason. She licked her lips then bite on her lower lip still looking at his abs. He was just a few inches away now, she could reach out and touch him. But she didn't. She was on the phone with someone. It would be so inappropriate to be touching him while talking to Curtis. And yet, she felt her hand reaching for his skin without her even realizing. Her body kept on betraying her brain these days. She let her fingers travel all over his lower body.

"What? No! Curtis, I told you I've wrote the first half of it and then Mr Palmer …"

Oliver covered her hand before kneeling in front of her. He positioned himself right between her legs, and he started kissing her neck, slowly making his way to her cleavage. Her breathing kept on increasing its rhythm. But she was still on the phone.

"Yes!"

Oliver was not sure if this was for Curtis or about him finding her favorite spot right behind her ear.

"Okay, I really can't deal with that right now, Curtis. So I'll see you in a couple of days."

She hung up without waiting for her friend's response tossing her phone on the bed.

"That was not nice," she said tilting her head to give Oliver a better angle to work.

"Well, with the way you were looking at me, I thought it was exactly what you wanted."

"Oh I always want you but you could have at least waited for me to finish my call."

"You are pretty good at multitasking."

"Oh I'll show you how good at multitasking I am," she said before kissing him.

\------------------------------------------------------

She felt his body tense under her. Then she heard his breathing get heavier.

"Oliver?" she whispered.

He was dreaming. No, he was having a nightmare. His fists were clenched and his jaw was so tense when she touched it that it felt like stone.

"Oliver. Wake up baby." she said in a low voice.

"Felicity …" he was not waking up. "Don't … don't go."

"Hey, Oliver! I'm right here. Please, wake up."

He was still dreaming, she tried to shake him but the man was a mountain and she was not strong enough to make a mountain move. He was sweating and calling her name.

"Oliver!" She shouted but he still was not responding.

She had to wake him up. Screaming wasn't working so she thought of something else. She kissed him, her lips pressed against his in desperation. It took him a few seconds before his whole body relaxed and he kissed her back. She pushed back and waited for him to open his eyes.

"Why are you crying?" he asked when he finally opened his eyes.

"You were having a nightmare. You were calling my name. And you would not wake up."

She was crying, tears all over her face. He sat up and took her in his arms.

"Felicity, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"I know. But it was just like … like you were so far away and I could not reach you. I could not save you."

"Hey," he said making her look him in the eyes. "You've already save me, Felicity."

He kissed her and they held each other for a while without saying a word. She didn't ask him what he dreamt of. She didn't want to know. They fell asleep still holding onto each other.

 

 

Oliver woke up before the sun, he had another nightmare. A different one. In this one, he was also loosing Felicity but in a very different way. She was not in any danger, she was just leav-ing him. With his eyes closed, he could still see her face, the tears in her eyes.

_I love you, Oliver. But I can't do this anymore. I'm sorry._

He watched her turn around and leave him. She was walking out on him. He made her run away from him like he always did.  
He shot his eyes open and looked at her, still sleeping next to him. She was there. She was with him. And he would do everything he could to keep her by his side.

"Felicity?" he whispered leaning toward her, his lips next to her ear. "Felicity?"

She flinched without opening her eyes.

"I'm sleeping, Oliver."

"I just need to ask you something."

"Now?" she asked opening her eyes.

"Yes, now."

She looked at him, and saw how serious he was. She turned and sat in front of him.

"Okay, I'm listening."

"I know we've known each other a very little time, but I love you like I've never loved anyone before."

Felicity felt a nagging pit growing up in her stomach.

"Maybe it has everything to do with me leaving in less than 24 hours," both their hearts ached at this reminder, "but I love you and I want to be with you, not just until I leave but when I come back as well and every day after that," he added, seeing panic erupt in her eyes. "So I need to ask you a very important question, you don't have to answer right away, if you need time to think about it and make a decision, I'd understand. But I can't leave without asking it."

Felicity felt panic spread across her body, he couldn't be asking her that question. What was he thinking? They had known each other for just over two weeks. And he was leaving for war tomorrow. No he was not gonna propose to her right before leaving the country to fight a war. That was such a romcom thing it could not be true. But what if he was? What would she say? What did she want to say? It was too early, just too early.

"So here it is," he said. "Would you go on a second date with me when I come back?"

Felicity let out a long breath and slapped his shoulder.

"How dare you? You wake me in the middle of the night to ask me that?!" she was almost yelling at him, incapable to decide if she was relieved or mad at him.

"What did you think I was gonna ask?" he asked trying to sound innocent.

"Oliver, don't you ever do that again!"

"Never? I can never ask you to marry me?" he said in a very serious voice.

Felicity froze. She had never believed in marriage, or true love but Oliver made her see the world and herself in a whole different way. She put her legs on each side of his, straddling him. She took his face between her hands.

"I'm not saying never to that, Oliver. Just not yet." she said kissing him gently.

"I understand, but you need to understand something about this thing between us."

"What?"

"One day, I will ask you to marry me, and you will say yes. Then I will spend the rest of my life falling deeper in love with you and making you the happiest person on the face of the planet." Oliver didn't let her a chance to answer, he kissed her and once again they lost themselves in each other.


	17. Time to say goodbye

That was not how Oliver thought his last day before leaving would be like. After a late breakfast in bed, they had moved to the couch and were watching the first episodes of Game of Thrones because there was no way he could leave without knowing who Jon Snow and Khaleesi were, according to Felicity. They were lying on the couch, Felicity in his arms. And Oliver had never felt more content and happy in his entire life. This was enough. This was all he wanted. Her. Just her. His phone rang and he smiled at the caller I.D.

"Hey Speedy. I shoudld have gone to war sooner cause you have never call me as much as in the last 48 hours." he started joking his fingers playing with Felicity's curls. 

"Oliver."

Felicity felt his body tense beneath hers so she turned to him. He was pale and his look was so cold she had to admit it scared her a bit. He looked so different from the man he was just a minute ago when she tried to explain to him what a Targaryen was.

"Mother."

Okay, that explained the shock. Oliver had not talk to his mother in months. The last time they had had a conversation, they were at the hospital right after the party. She was sitting next to Thea, who was still asleep. The doctors had said that it will take a few more hours for the drug to get out of her system. So they could only wait for her to wake up. How could you let that happen to her. 

How could you fail your sister like this. How could you fail us? Fail me? I don't know who you are anymore, Oliver. No that's not true, I know exactly who you are. You are a monster that would let his sister suffer just so he could have fun. You are a monster and I don't even want to look at you. Just go away. 

"Is Thea okay?"

"Yes, she is probably asleep right now."

They were silent for a few moments. Felicity sat up and pressed pause focusing on her tense boyfriend.

"When are you leaving?"

"Hum … tomorrow morning."

"Where are you going?"

"Irak."

"For how long?"

"I don't know exactly. A few weeks probably. It's just a reckon mission."

"Okay, I don't know what that means but okay."

She went silent again and Oliver could swear he heard her play with her hair like she always did when she was nervous which did not happened a lot. Moira Queen was a rock. She was strong and cold. He used to call her the Ice Queen as a kid. She was not the kind of woman to hug her children a lot, but she was not a bad person. Oliver used to worship her, he saw her like this Goddess who was always right and had so much power. He used to love to see her boss people around until he realised how much she was hurting the people around her. 

One day, she took him to the office, he must have been 6 years old and he was playing under her desk while she was in a meeting. She must have forgotten he was here cause when she came back in with two assistants she was yelling at them so many bad words he had never heard before. She was being so mean to them and said such hurtful things that the two girls were crying. Then she left the office leaving both of them alone with a scared Oliver still hiding under the desk. She is a monster. One of girls said that and it resonnated in Oliver's head. He was scared of monsters and from that day, he was scared of his mother. 

"Why are you calling, mother?"

"I just … I don't know. I guess I just wanted to wish you good luck. And ask you to be careful."

"Why?"

"Why? Oliver, no matter what happened in the past, you are still my son. And I don't want you to get hurt …"

"Too late for that, mother."

He didn't mean to sound so harsh and cold. Felicity's hand came to rest on his chest, right on his heart. He took a deep breath, her touching calming him. 

"I'm sorry, I will be careful. Thank you for calling."

"Of course. Also, Thea mentionned a girl. Felicity, is it?"

"She's my girlfriend, yes." 

Felicity smiled at him calling her his girlfriend. 

"Oh that's … that's good. The way Thea talked about her she sounds great."

"Sh's the best." 

Okay now she was blushing.

"Well I'm happy you found someone Oliver."

"Me too."

"I gotta go. Goodbye Oliver."

"Goddbye Mum."

Yes that was not how he thought his last day with Felicity would be like.

"Are you okay?" she asked her hand still on his chest once the cal ended.

He looked at her and couldn't help but smile at her beautiful face. He covered her hand with his own and squeezed it.

"With you by my side, always."

She kissed him.

"Do you want to finish the episode and get some lunch here or should we take a shower and then go out?"

"I'll never say no to a shower with you." he said before getting up. 

 

The day was going so fast. As hard as they tried not to, they could not stop looking at the time and mentally count the hours they had left together. It was torture. 

"We have to stop," Oliver said when Felicity reached for her phone for the ten time in the last twenty minutes. 

"I"m sorry. I just … I just wish I could stop time."

"Me too. But we can't."

They had lunch in a small pizzeria and were now taking a long wlak in the park right next to their hotel. 

"Maybe we can," Felicity said taking out her phone. "Let's just forget about time. Let's turn our phones off, take your watch off and just forget about time. What do you think?"

"I think that's a brilliant idea." Oliver said taking his watch off his wrist and putting it in his pocket before turning his phone off.

"Now what do you say we go back upstairs and get naked."

"I'll never say no to you and me naked." he said laughing before taking her hand and crossing the street. 

 

She hoped this will never stop. How they felt together, how their skins felt against each other. It was so different from any sex she ever had before. Not that she had a lot. But this was different. It was so powerful like every touch went so deep inside not just her body but her soul. It was a way for them to connect at a deeper level. Deeper than she had ever experience before. 

"Do you think this will feel different one day?" Felicity asked her fingers tracing the marks on his body. 

"I hope not." 

"Me neither", she said kissing his torso. "I had no idea sex could be that great. I mean maybe I would have practice it more often if I had known." she added laughing but Oliver could hear something different in her laugh, a darkness.

"Care to elaborate?" he asked not sure she was ready to talk about it. "Does it have anything to do with the reason you were crying last night?"

Her body tensed and she closed her eyes trying to make his face disappear. 

"Felicity, if you don't want to talk about it …"

"After all the things you told me about your past, I have to tell you more about mine."

"You don't have to do anything if you're not confortable with it."

"Thank you, Oliver. And this, here, is exactly why I should and why I want to."

She took a deep breath. 

"I was in my second year of college, at only 16, when I met Cooper. He was this smart and cool kid who had all those big speeches and ideas about how technology could change the world. I was just a kid and to me, he was this handsome 20 years-old guy who showed interest in my skills and me. I was so naive."

"Felicity, you were 16. You wouldn't believe the stupid things I did when I was 16."

"Well, I don't think you can compete with me, Mr Queen. We started dating despite my family and my friends warnings against him, I was in love. He knew it and took advantage of it. I was ready to do anything for him and I did. I started hacking with him and his little group of hacktivist as they called themselves. I felt like I was doing something good, and for the first time in my entire life, I felt like I had found my place, what I was supposed to do. But Cooper was more interested in my skills than anything else. He made me write codes for something he called a super virus, a virus capable of introducing the most unpenetrable systems. I thought it was just a project but he actually used it. And he got caught. Even if I wrote it, the States never pressed charges. But I finally realised that he never loved me and that he used me, taking advantage of my feelings. And it almost destroyed me. I loved him, he was the first man I loved and more importantly the first man I trusted with my heart and he destroyed it." 

"I am so sorry you had to go through that." Oliver said pulling her closer to him. 

"As you can imagine, Cooper was my first and he was not really the caring kind. He was selfish and rude even when it came to sex." 

"Where is he now?"

"He is gone." Oliver knew he would not get any more details tonight so he didn't ask more. 

"I love you, Felicity."

"I love you too."

 

When she woke up in the middle of night, rain was falling outside. They were entangled and Felicity could feel his hot breath on her skin. Oliver's wrapped around her was all she needed. She felt safe here. So safe she never wanted to move again. 

"But we have to."

"No, we don't. We could pretend the rest of the world doesn't exist and live here forever." she said kissing him. 

"I wish we could do that. But that would mean that you won't be able to work. Or see your family."

"I can work from bed and my family can come and visit."

"Really?"

"Yes. I'm pretty confident we can make it happen."

"I'm pretty sure that once you put you brilliant mind to it, you can make anything happen."

"Not anything. I've been trying to figure a way to keep you here for days. I have not found one. Talk about a genius."

"Felicity."

"No, I know. You have to go. Of course you do. Desertion is a terrible crime, I checked."

Oliver laughed. 

"I want to stay. But we have so much to look forward. For the first time in my entire life, I want to think about what comes next, I want to plan a future … with you."

"What do you have in mind, Mr Queen?"

"Well, of course a lot of naked time," he said his fingers following a path from her neck to her bare ass where he rested his hand for a moment.

"I'm all for naked tme. But what else?"

"I want to take you out more just to see you in a beautiful dress."

"That you'll take off afterwards. And we're back to naked time." she said laughing.

"Yes! But I also want you to spend more time with Thea. She really likes you, you know."

"I like her too. She is amazing."

"And I want to meet your mom, and Barry."

"Are you sure? I mean I love them to death but my mum is kind of crazy and Barry can be overprotective."

"I know how important they are to you. So yes, I want to meet them."

"Okay, well, depending on your schedule, I'm supposed to go there for Hannukkah and maybe Christmas."

"Felicity Smoak. Are you inviting me to spend the holidays with you and your family."

"I think I am."

"Well it will be my honor."

"That's what it feels like to make plans for the future with the person you love? I like it."

"Me too," Oliver said kissing her. 

"How long do we have left?" she asked. 

Oliver looked at his watch and frowned.

"4 hours."

"Then let's make the best of it." She said kissing him. 

 

"This is it." Oliver said when they arrived to the military base from where their plane was leaving. They didn't sleep much last night. They wanted to spend every moment they had together. Touching and loving each other. Oliver opened the car's door and once outside, offered his hand to Felicity. She hesitated for a moment, still calculating in her head how hard it would be to live on the run if he deserted. 

"Felicity, we are not running away from the US army."

"But, with my skills and your pretty face, I'm pretty confident we could make it. What do you think about Bali?"

"Felicity." he said offering his hand once again and this time she took it but not without a loud sigh. 

They joined the small group forming in front of the glass doors. Felicity can see the giant army plane on the tarmac and she can't help but yelp. 

"Hey." Oliver says squeezing her hand. "It's just a plane, Felicity."

"I know, it's just so big. It's scary."

Every member of the team was there, in their kaki uniforms. They all looked so different wearing their uniforms. Oliver surely looked different. He had a certain seriousness and cold look that goes with the outfit. He was in army mode. He laughed when Felicity told him a couple hours ago. Diggle smiled at her from the corner where he was talking to Lyla. Their daughter was nowhere to be seen. He probably already said his goodbyes to her. Lyla's hand was clenching on his arm, they were not saying anything. Just looking at each other. 

Just a few feet from them, Rene was talking to Floyd and Tommy while Laurel was on the phone next to him. Slade and Shado were already outside the doors, ready to embark. Was it easier for them to go to war with their loved one? 

"Hey. Don't worry too much, please." Oliver said turning to face her. 

He had his worry face on. How could he be worrying about her worrying when he was about to leave for war? This man was unbelievable.

"I don't think I can stop worrying until you're back home. To me."

"Soon." he whispered before kissing her. 

She clung the back of his neck, pulling him closer and deepening their kiss. She didn't care about the people around. Damn it she didn't care about Laurel seeing them. Oliver dropped his bag onto the floor and wrapped both his arms low around her hips pulling his hips against hers. Felicity slowed her mouth down and nipped his bottom lip with her teeth wich made him groan quietly. Oliver smiled while placing a few slow closed mouth kiss on her lips before kissing her forehead. They stayed like this for a while. Felicity's chin resting on his chest while his lips placed sweet, lingering kisses on her forehead. They didn't need words, they didn't need to make promises. They only needed to be there with each other. 

"Oliver," Diggle's voice made Felicity jump and break their embrace. "We have to go. I'm sorry Felicity."

"Of course," she said turning to him. "Is it okay if I hug you goodbye?" she asked opening her arms. 

Diggle smile and scooped her up a little. 

"You'll be okay." he whispered just for her to hear. "And if you need anything, call Lyla."

"Anytime." The woman said coming to stand next to her husband. "And I mean it."

"Thank you," was all Felicity could say. 

"Felicity?" she turned to face Tommy. "Can I get a hug too?" he asked smiling.

"Of course," she said opening her arms to him.

"I know it's not fair to ask you that but could you please make sure Laurel is okay while I'm gone?" he whispered only for her ears.

Felicity looked at the woman standing just inches from them, a hand on her small belly bump, tears in her eyes. 

"Of course." she said. 

She didn't want to . But how could she say no to Tommy. He was leaving his pregnant girlfiend behind. And he was Oliver's bestfriend.

"You are the best of us all, Felicity Smoak." he said realeasing her from his arms. 

They all started walking towards the glass doors and Oliver's hand found hers. He came in front of her, his other hand cupping her cheek. 

"I love you, Felicity Smoak."

"I love you, Oliver Queen."


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to update! But I am publishing 3 chapters!!!

It's gonna be hard.

Lyla's words was still ringing in her ears. Hard was not a strong enough word for what Felicity was going through. She had a text from Lyla the next morning after Oliver's departure saying they all arrived safely wherever they were supposed to arrive. But it did not help with the worry. He was in hell and there was nothing she could do to help him. All she had to do was wait and see. And she ahted both of these things.

Lyla still had sources and friends on the army and could get more informations than most army wives could. And Felicity being only an army girlfriend, she virtually had zero informations on what was going on over there. And she promised Oliver she would not use her very special talents to hack the Pentagone or the White House, which she could easily do, to know where he was. Keeping that promise was really hard. So Lyla was her only source of information and she had been calling Felicity everytime she had any news or just wanted to check on her. In the litlle time she had known Lyla, she felt like she had found not just an ally but a true friend.

"Miss Smoak, are you still with us ? "

She had been in this meeting for like an hour and it was not going anywhere. And as usual when she was bored or just not doing anything, her mind naturally drifted to Oliver. Which explained why she managed to push herself almost until exhaustion not lettign herself have time to fall apart.

" Yes, of course, I'm right here." She readjusted her position on the chair and looked through the file in front of her for the hundreth time. "I just don't understand why we need to keep talking about this. This is an important project, it could help so many people. "

" The question, Miss Smoak," one of the board member wearing a black suit and a black tie said letting his tongue rest a little too long on the Miss part, "is will it help this company to thrive ? "

" You mean help you get even richer ! " Felicity could not help it. She hated those corporates guys that lived in a castle and had no idea what was happening for the rest of the human race down there.

It remininded her of all those rich men that would talk down to her mom back inVegas or even touch her expecting her to say nothing. But her mother would always say something or just slap them right in the face. Then her manager would come to her looking exactly like the suit was looking at Felicity right now. Like her mom had so many times, she was about to loose her job for sure.

" Maybe we should wait for Mr Palmer," Curtis tried to step in and ease the tension, "he should be here any minute."

But the suit had been waiting for an excuse to get rid of the little blonde girl since she stepped into her first meeting two weeks ago. She arrived with Ray who introduced her to everyone as a very important collaborator and she had blushed at the word important. Every man around the table looked at her in a way that made her want to scream but as her mother always said, "be fierce but look innocent, they won't see you coming".

The suit in question has been one of the most persistent. The moment she opened her mouth, they all realised how smart she was and they all had been very polite to her since then but not him. He had wanted her the minute he saw her and her long legs then he had wanted her out the minute she opened her mouth and he realised she was smarter than any of them and would not be pretty and silent. Now was his chance, without Palmer here, he was the one in charge. The man slowly stood up and put both his hands on the glass table looking at Felicity on the other side like she was nothing. He could not help the smile that was forming on his face.

"Who are you to talk to me like this ? "

" Well, I see things are going great in here. " Ray Palmer entered the room and went straight to the chair next to Felicity without even looking at the man standing up at the other end of the table. He sat down, put his phone on the table and finally looked at him.

" To answer your question, Arthur, Miss Smoak is my new VP. " All eyes suddenly turned to him, including Felicity's. VP ? What the hell was he talking about !

" You can't ... "

" Well, Arthur, I think I saw my name on the building when I walked in just a few minutes ago, so that must mean this is still my company. I mean unless you bought my shares in the last three minutes without me knowing. "

" It is your company Ray," an old blonde woman said with a nice voice, "but this kind of decision need to be approved by the board. "

" Actually it doesn't. I can consult you and get your opinion on it, which I did. You all gave me a pretty impressive list of potential candidates but none of them was qualified for the job. "

" None of them ? They were pretty good candidates!" The suit started sitting back down on his chair. "What were you looking for exactly, apart from blonde hair and nice legs ? " He added gesturing at Felicity.

She raised from her chair ready to kill the man for what he was insinuated but Palmer put his hand on her arm and silently asked her to sit back and let him handle this. She didn't know if she was just too sleep deprived to fight him or if she was just curious to hear what Palmer was gonna say so she let him talk.

" Arthur. Miss Smoak is a genius. She has a higher IQ than all of yours combined," he said gesturing to all the suits sitting at the table. "If you must know, she went to MIT at 15 and graduated top of her class 3 years later. She is also a fierce person who will tell me I'm being an ass when needed and is not afraid of any of you. She believes in her work and she is damn good at it. But this doesn't matter at all because she is the person I chose to have by my side, and you all will have to deal with it. " Felicity was speechless and so was everyone. She certainly had no idea Palmer saw her like that. " Oh and Arthur," he said turning directly to the black suit, "if you ever talk to my VP like this, or to any woman working for me, I will have you thrown out of MY building. "

The rest of the meeting went pretty quietly. Felicity didn't say much, she answered the few questions some board members had about the implant project. But she was still in shock and she couldn't help but glance at Palmer from time to time trying to read the guy. But it was impossible. Once everybody left the room and they were the only two left, she asked the question that was burning her tongue since she heard the word VP.

" What the hell was that ? "

" Excuse me ? "

" You can't give me that kind of promotion without telling me first. What if I don't want it ? "

" You don't want it ? " he asked genuinly.

" That's not the question. " She was almost screaming.

" It is actually. Do you want the job or not ? "

Did she want this job? How could she not want it. She could do so much more as VP than she ever thought possible.

" How am I supposed to refuse after all you said about me in front of the all board ? "

" Felicity," he stood up next to her and put his hand on her forearm. "I meant every word. You are the best VP I could find. "

" Next time, ask me before. You can't make any decision for me. "

" I'm sorry. You're right. I wanted to talk to you about it before the meeting but I was … delayed. " Felicity could see his mind just went back to whatever the reason for his delay had been and she saw worry and fear in his eyes. He looked up and caught her looking at him intensely. " Well as my VP, you shoudl probably know why I was late. "

" You don't have to tell me anything about your private life. "

" I should if it has a relation to our work, and it does." He sat back down and took out his phone. He turned it to Felicity and she saw a picture of a youg brunette wearing glasses and reading a book on a bench." This is my sister. Andrea. She is … she had an accident about a year ago. Nerve damaged in her spine. She went through so many surgeries I lost count. But none of them worked. "

" But our implant might. " It all made so much sense now. His interest in her project, his involvment.

" Now you understand my interest in your little project. "

" I do. " And for the first time since she met Ray Palmer, she felt like she finally understood the man. He was a good man, a man whom would do anything to help his sister but also a genius with very poor social skills.

They didn't talk more about Andrea or the chip. She had a lot of things to deal with before she could officially be set up as VP. She had a mountain of papers to sign and even more files to familiarize herself with. The job was coming with a lot more hours and so much more responsabilities but she will still be able to work on all her projects. She'll just have to attend every board meetings and other kind of meetings with partners or competitors. But she will also be an adviser to Mr Palmer that she had to call Ray from now on and she was moving to a new office, one with a view. And she could get an assistant and she asked for Curtis to have a new office right next to hers so they could still work closely. This was a big change and all she wanted to do was call Oliver and tell him about it. But she could only write to him.

She got home pretty late that night and went straight up to take a shower before heading to her room. She sat at her desk, turn her computer on and wrote to him. She told him about her day, about her promotion, about her new office. It was stupid she knew it and she was not even sure he'll even get them. But it felt like she was talking to him. She pressed send and checked one more time to see if she'd get any new email. But her inbox was still empty.

A few days after he left, she received a letter, a real letter. She didn't recognize the writing on the enveloppe and felt sutpid when she realized she didn't know Oliver's writing. But now, after reading his letter a million times, she knew his writing by heart. She turned off her laptop and went to bed. She settled under the covers and opened her drawer. She pulled out the folded letter.

My Felicity,

I know it has not been that long but I already miss you so much. The past few days have been hard, and not because of where I am and what I'm doing but because I am so far away from you. The hardest are the nights. I dream about you every single night. I dream about holding you, about touching and kissing you. Then I wake up reaching out for you but you're not here. After that it's hard to go back to sleep.

Those few days we had together have been the happiest of my life. They made me realize how much I love you. You've already changed me in a way you can't even imagine. You make me want to become something else, someone else.

_I want to become the one you didn't see coming. The one who gets under your skin. Who makes you unstable. The one who makes you question everything you've ever believed about love. I want to be the one who makes you feel reckless and out of control ; the one you are infuriatingly and inexplicably drawn to. I don't want to be the one that tucks you into bed ; I want to be the reason why you can't sleep at night … I want to be the one for you cause you are the one for me. The one who makes me unstbale, the one who taught me what true love is, the one who makes me crazy, the one I can't live without, the one who keeps me awake at night. The one I want to spend the rest of my life with._

_I love you, Felicity._

_Your Oliver._

\-------------------------------------------------

Felicity must have been working on those codes for hours when her phone buzzed. She totally forgot about the time. She was supposed to skype with Oliver in 10 minutes. Their first skype call since he left 4 weeks ago. She will never make it back home in time. She was gonna have to do it from her office. She had it all planned. She was going to take a long shower, put a nice top, some make up. She put her handbag on her desk looking for a mirror. There was no way Oliver was going to see her looking tired and messy after so much time apart. She gasped when she saw her reflect.

  
"Frack, I look like crap!"

She went through her bag and found her emergency makeup kit and she started to work. She combed her hair and put them in a high ponytail. Then she tried her best to hide the dark circles under eyes indicating the few hours of sleep she could get every night. Small touches of blush and mascara, red lipstick.

"Okay. That will have to do it."

"Getting ready for a hot date?" Curtis asked stepping into her office from the glass door separating hers from his office.

"I thought you already left." she said blushing.

"I’m leaving right now. And so should you ... boss."

She had been a little scared about how her relationship with Curtis will be affected by her new promotion. She was his boss now but she was also his bestfriend. She walked on eggs for a few days before she realised Curtis didn't care about the title and was still treating her the same way he always did.

"I can’t. I’m waiting for a call. And please, don't call me that."

"What kind of call needs you to put that kind of hot lipstick on?" he asked sitting on her desk.

"I’m skyping with Oliver."

"Oh God. I’ll be out of your air right now." he said jumping off the desk making his way towards the doors.

"No, please," she said stopping him in his tracks, "Stay. I need someone to stop me from getting too nervous about this."

"What are you nervous about ?"

"I don’t know. It’s been 4 weeks already. And I only got 1 letter. I’ve send 3 and only got 1. Lyla texted me last night to tell me about this skype call. I know he must be busy but I mean only one letter. He promised to write me at least twice a week. But he obviously didn't. So I was thinking that maybe he ... maybe he changed his mind … about me … about us."

This little thing had been on her mind for a few days now. And it was messing with her head and her heart badly.

"What are you talking about?" Curtis came back next to her and started stroking her arm. "It must be hard for him to find time or just a way to get it to you, that's all."

"Maybe." Curtis knew her too well by now to know this was just something she was thinking about from time to time. He knew she was already obsessing about it and probably made up a few scenarios explaining this absence of letters and he was pretty sure she was getting heartbroken in every of these scenarios.

"Felicity..."

The sound of a skype call coming in cut him off before he could offer some reassuring words to his friend. Felicity straightened up on her chair and looked straight to the screen.

"I’m gonna leave you two."

Felicity wasn’t even listening to him anymore all her attention on her computer screen. She took a deep breath and answered the call. It took a few moments before she could see him. He was under some kind of tent, other men on some computers behind him. She couldn’t take her eyes off of him. His eyes looked tired but they were burning with light and he was smiling at her.

"You have no idea how good it is to see your beautiful face, Felicity." As always, her heart skipped a beat when he said her name.

"I look like crap. And I’m sorry I’m still at work." she said gesturing around her office.

"You look amazing, babe. This is your office? It looks bigger than the cubicle you told me about."

"It's my new office. You didn’t get my letters?"

"I got the first one." he said his hand on his chest pocket where he has been keeping it. "We’ve been off the grid for the past 15 days so no post office or email. Sorry. But I’ll probably get them later. We just got to the camp and I came straight here."

Okay, this explained everything. She took a deep breath for the first time in days.

"Are you okay?" Oliver saw the way her shoulders fell and the deep breath she took like she couldn't breath until now.

"Yeah. I was wondering if you had not just forgotten about me ..." she said laughing but Oliver knew her better than that.

"You thought I forgot about you?"

"No. I mean, I just thought you had better things to do. I mean maybe some part of me thought that maybe you ... you changed your mind."

Oliver didn’t say anything bit his smile was gone and he had his serious face on. He slowly got closer to the screen.

"Felicity Smoak. I want you to listen very carefully to what I’m about to say." Felicity took an other deep breath. "I love you. I want to be with you for as long as you'll let me. I will never leave you or forget about you. No matter what happens, I’m yours forever. So don’t ever think I could just forget you. Cause you, Felicity Smoak, are pretty unforgettable."

Felicity couldn’t help but smile and blush at his words.

"Right back at you, soldier." she said.

"So now that this is out of the way, tell me about the new office."

They talked for about 20 minutes before he had to leave.

"I miss you so much."

"I miss you too, Felicity. Call Lyla, she should have something for you."

"What is it?"

"Just call her." he said smiling. "I gotta go, babe, John is waiting for me."

"Okay, tell him I said hi. I love you, Oliver."

"I love you too."

 

She was about to sleep when she heard her phone ringing.

"Felicity? This is Lyla Michaels. John Diggle’s wife.."

"Of course, Lyla. It’s so good to hear from you. I was actually gonna call you first thing tomorrow."

"You talked to Oliver?"

"Yes. He mentionned you had something for me."

"Yes. A friend of mine was in Irak a few days ago and crossed path with their Team. Oliver gave him some letters for you.  I thought we could have lunch tomorrow and I could give them to you. We could get some girl time."

"Yes! I would love that."

"Great. Do you like Chinese?"

"I love it!"

"Great. I know this little restaurant called Sin Yoam."

"I love this place. I get all my take out from them. I must be their best client."

"Me too. Is 12:30 okay with you?"

"Yeah. Perfect."

"Okay, see you tomorrow then."

"See you tomorrow."

 

"Miss Smoak. So good to see you. Lyla! How is the little one?"

Both women laughed at the familiarity their host showed them. Mr Sin placed them at his best table and didn’t even bother to take their order.

"So this is for you." Lyla sais getting a package out of her bag.

Felicity took it and couldn’t help but trace the letters he drew on the enveloppes.

"Thank you, Lyla."

"No problem."

"Do you talk to John often?" she asked putting her treasure on her bag.

"Not much. But I'm used to it. It’s hard for Sara. She asks for him a lot."

"It’s the first time he leaves since she was born?"

"No he left a couple times but she was a baby so she doesn’t remember. She’s almost 2 now so this is different."

"I’m sorry. I know how hard it is to miss your dad."

"Yours was in the military too?"

"No. He ... he just left one morning and never came back."

"Oh, I’m sorry, Felicity."

"Don’t be. I mean it was a long time ago. Sara is lucky enough to have a dad that will always come back to her."

"Until he doesn’t."

They both fell silent at Lyla's remark. It escaped her and she felt bad for saying it out loud.

"I’m sorry, it’s just been pretty hard these past few days. I mean you know what I’m talking about. The sleepless nights. The fear every time the phone rings. The chills you get watching the news."

"Yes, I do know. But I thought it was easier for you."

"Not really. I mean, I know better than to watch the news and I still got sources and friends overseas that keep me updated on their mission. But it's still hard not to have him here with me."

"I know."

Their usual orders were served and they started eating in silence bth thinking about their love ones.

"Have you talked to Laurel Lance lately?" Lyla asked her.

"Not really. I send her a few texts to make sure she didn't need anything. Tommy asked me to check on her."

"Okay. Well I was thinking about having a little dinner at my house this saturday and I thought it would be nice to have every team partners over."

"So it will be only the three of us?" She was okay with checking up on Laurel from time to time as she promised Tommy but spending an entire evening with her was not what she signed for.

"No. Rene's wife, Anna will be there and Floyd's husband, Marc too."

"Floyd is gay?!" Felicity almost chocked.

"Bisexual actually and married to Marc for about 2 years now. They just adopted a little boy a few months ago. And Rene has a daughter too, Lana."

"I had no idea!"

"Well, Oliver has a lot of qualities but talking and sharing is certainly not one of them."

"Actually he's been better at it than me."

"Really. Cause from what John tells me, he's an enigma. But I guess John doesn't have what you got."

"Blonde hair and a high IQ?" sha asked laughing.

"That and Oliver's heart." sha added.


	19. Chapter 19

She was late as usual. Her meeting lasted longer than expected and she didn't even get a chance to go home and change. She looked at her reflect in the elevator's doors and sighed. She looked tired and small. Exactly how she felt after the most horrible meeting she's ever been to. 

"Remind me why we're meeting with our number one competitor?" she asked when Palmer and her entered the Queen Consolidated building.

"Because they are opening a new brand of Applied Science and they want to work with us on a few project." he explained for the tenth time. "What's going on with you?"

"Nothing, it's just that, again, we are competitors. So I just don't understand why we are helping them."

"You are not helping us, Miss Smoak. We are helping each other." said a blonde middle age woman was sitting in a chair surrounded by four men. None of them got up when Ray and her entered the room. 

"Mrs. Queen. Always a pleasure to see you." Ray said walking towards the table. He sat down and gestured Felicity to sit down next to him. 

Felicity's heart stopped. She managed to walk to the chair and sit without stumbling or even breathing. The woman in front of her didn't take her eyes off of her, her blue eyes she gave to her son. 

"Moira Queen. This is my new VP …"

"Felicity Smoak," she said not letting him finish. "I know who you are, Miss Smoak."

Ray could feel that he was missing some informations about the connection the two women shared but knew better than to ask.Felicity was still in shock. When Ray mentionned this meeting with Queen Consolidated, he made it sound unimportant and casual so she didn't even think Moira Queen will be attending it. She thought about the possibility of running into her in the building but figured it was a big building so she could easily avoid her. But now it was impossible to avoid her cold look on her. The way Oliver's mother was looking at her made her feel so small and insignificant. During the meeting, she took every chance she had to diminish Felicity's ideas or achievments. She was being really hard and rude to her but Felicity did not say anything. She just went silent and let Ray do the talking which was very unusual for her. It infuriated her to let someone treat her like that, it reminded her of a time when she would let other peolple talk for her and tell her what to say and think. 

Once the torture session, or meeting as Ray called it, she decided to leave the room as fast as possible and wait for Ray on the lobby. She stepped in the elevator and took deep breaths trying to get her nerves under control. All she wanted to do was call Oliver and let him tell her he loved her. 

"Miss Smoak," Moira Queen was standing right in front of her. Felicity turnedaround to face her. Moira Queen was a beautiful woman but you could see the coldness not just in her eyes but even in her smile. "I meant what I said." She paused and took a step closer to Felicity. "I know who you are. And I know what you want from my son. But you won't get any money from him or from our family."

"Excuse me?" So that's what it was all about. "I don't want your money, I don't need your money. And I love your son."

"That's what they all say. I've seen so many women like you get into Oliver's bed. Don't think for a minute that you are any different from all these women he used to play with. Again, Miss Smoak, I know who you are and where you come from. You will never be good enough for my son."

The elevator's door opened and Felicity stepped out. She heard some voices coming from Lyla's appartment and forced a smile on her face before getting in. This night was not just about her, all these people needed to forget what their loved ones were doing overseas. They all needed to ease their pain just like she did. 

She had a great time. Despite her bad mood, she enjoyed getting a chance to meet every team partner and their kids. Laurel was there but Felicity managed to avoid her most of the night. Until she decided to leave at the exact same time Felicity did. 

"How are you holding up?" Laurel asked on the elevator. 

"Okay, I guess. How about you?" 

"Not okay. I mean, it's hard to be alone right now." she was rubbing her belly bump. 

"What about your family?"

"My mom lives in Central City, and Sara is always on the air or in New York. And my dad … he's a detective. His job always comes first, always had."

"I'm sorry. I know what it's like to be all alone."

"Ollie mentionned that your family lives in Central City."

"Yes and most of my friends too."

"It must have been hard to leave everything behind."

"It was but sometimes you need to leave your past behind and put distance between you two."

"Speaking of past …" Laurel started when the elevator reached its destination.

Both women stepped out and started walking towards their cars in an awkaward silence. 

"I know we had a rough start but things are different now. I mean I'm still working on some issues, especially regarding my relationship with Oliver. But he gave me some closure before he left and I think I really needed to hear it, to open my eyes. And now I'm ready to try and build a very different relationship with him but also with you. I mean if you'll let me."

Laurel was so nervous. She had been playing with the hem of her t-shirt the all time she talked, avoiding any eye contact. Felicity could see how important it was to her that she'd hear her. And she did. No matter what she could say or do, it would never erase Oliver and Laurel's past. She was part of his story and wanted to be part of his life, their life. 

"Okay." was all she could say. 

"Okay," Laurel echoed smiling. "So now will you tell me why you look so sad?"

"I don't …"

"Oh please, I can see it in your eyes."

"I just … I had a meeting earlier and it didn't go as I expected."

"Oh I'm sorry. But you are good at your job I'm sure it'll be okay."

"It was not about my job."

"I don't understand."

"Palmer Tech is working on a few projects with Queen Consolidated. And I met with Mrs Queen …"

"Oh! I see. Did the Ice Queen gave you the "you only want my son's money, you don't love him, you will never be good enough for him" speech?"

Felicity didn't need to answer. 

"She said the exact same thing to me and to every girl that ever got close to Oliver. She was right most of the time but you should not pay any attention to what she says. She has no idea who Oliver is or what love is. Why do you think Oliver calls her the Ice Queen."

"Oliver came up with that name?"

"Yes. When he was just a kid."

"That's so … sad." she said thinking about her own mom. She was a real Mama Bear always hugging and kissing her even in front of her friends, telling her she loved her at least five times a day. 

"Yeah. But seriously, Felicity, don't listen to her or to anybody else. Any person who saw you two together can see that what you two have is the real deal." She said it without flinching. 

"Thank you, Laurel."

"You're welcome. Now if you'll excuse me, Mommy needs a long bath and some ice cream. Goodnight, Felicity."

"Goodnight Laurel."

 

"You should go home, Felicity. Like I asked you to 2 hours ago. Enjoy your weekend."

"I know. I am leaving. I just need to …"

"Felicity, I'm still your boss. And I am ordering you to go home. Now!"

Felicity finally looked up and saw that Ray was absolutely not joking around. He had a very serious look on his face.

"You're right."

"You are no good to this company if you're exhausted."

"I understand. The thing is that when I'm passionate about something …"

"You get lost in it." She nodded. "I'm like that too."

Felicity's relationship with Ray had evolve into friendship in the past few weeks. He recognized her intelligence and valued her for it. He trusted her and her opinion really mattered to him. He made her feel important and she loved it. She caught him looking at her for a little too long a few times but prefered to ignore it and focus on the good sides of the men. 

"Goodnight, Ray."

"Goodnight Felicity."

 

The drive home took less than 15 minutes, probbaly because there was not a lot of traffic at 10 pm. She parked her car on the street right in front of her house and walked the stairs to her door. It was very dark but she noticed a from on the top stairs. She froze. 

"Don't even try to attack me, man. I've watched Buffy for years and I know how to fight even in heels!" she yelled taking a step back. 

The dark form chuckled and took a step towards the light. Felicity's heart stopped when she recognized his eyes. 

"Oliver." she whispered. 

It couldn't be real. Like so many times in the past weeks, she was daydreaming. She was seeing him when he wasn't there. It happened more times since they skype call three weeks ago. She saw him in her bathroom mirror, in the coffee shop, even in her office. But this time was different, she wasn't thinking about him, she wasn't wishing he was here with her. And she could not just see him, she could smell his musk scent, she could feel his body warmth so close to her. She took a step forward.

"Are you really here?" she asked this so low more like a prayer than a question. 

"Yes, Felicity. I'm really here." She didn't wait for him to finish before she threw herself in his arms, crashing her lips against his. She kissed him as hard and deep as she could and he kissed her back with power and passion. 

"How? I thought you didn't know when you'd be back!" she said between kisses. 

"I didn't. They didn't tell us until the last minute." he said back pushing her against the door.

"Why didn't you call?"

"I thought it would be better to surprise you."

"It is better!" she said still kissing him. "I need you inside … I mean inside my house." she corrected hearing her innuendo. 

"I want to be inside more than anything." he said smiling at her. She turned around and did her best to unlock her front door while a very hot Oliver was kissing her neck, looking for the spot. 

"I really don't need my neighbors to see or hear us."

"Oh they are gonna hear us cause I'm gonna make you come as hard and as many times as I can." he whispered on her ear slipping his hand underneath her dress. 

She opened the door and turned back to kiss him. She was ready to scream his name a million times. 

She could not remember how they made their way to her bedroom but she was now naked on her bed with an also very naked Oliver on top of her. He was spreading kisses all over her body making her moan and begging for more. He was taking his time when all she wanted was for him to take her hard and fast. 

"Oliver, please! I promise we'll take our time later but right now I need you inside me fast!"

"Did I ever mention how much I love it when you're bossy?"

"Shut up and take me!" she said kissing him hard. 

He was inside her so fast she couldn't hold up a small scream at the sensation of fullness. He didn't move, letting her adjust to him. She caught her breath and nodded for him to start moving. She asked for hard and fast and he gave it to her. It was like they were both letting go of their frustration of being so far away for so long, they were reconnecting in such a deep level they couldn't put words on it. Felicity held on to his shoulders, nipping her nails in his skin while he was kissing and sucking on her special spot putting her on the edge. They screamed each other names before collapsing. 

"Welcome home, soldier." 

 

Oliver and Felicity spend the next two days mostly in bed. Except for the hot shower they shared and the times Oliver cooked for her. 

"What are you making?" Felicity sat at the kitchen table, watching Oliver naked butt whilst he was cooking them some breakfast. He was only wearing her apron, the one Iris bought her before she left Central City, the same one she never wore because she never really used her kitchen before. 

"An omelette." 

"Mmm it sounds delicious. Did I mention how hot you look in this apron?" she asked teasing him.

"A couple times, yes. I can't believe you refuse to let me do my laundry."

"The thing is," she said approching him, "if you wash your clothes, then you can wear them." She slowly let her fingers caress his bare back. "And I prefer you naked, all the time naked." She gently slapped his bare ass which made him laugh.

"You are very kinky, Miss Smoak." he said kissing her. 

"And I'm also famished!" 

They ate their breakfast then Oliver decided to go for a run and despite his nice invitation, Felicity decided that she'd rather catch up on some work instead. After 30 minutes, she heard a knock on the door.

"Oliver, you know you don't have to knoo-oo-oock! Oh frack!" was all she could say when she discovered a petite blonde at her door and not her tall handsome boyfriend. "Mum! What are you doing here?!"

"Well! I came to visit my baby girl!" the woman said hugging Felicity. 

Donna made her way inside her daughter's appartment putting her luggage on the floor. 

"Oh it smells delicious in here." Donna walked into the kitchen following the smell of food.

"Omelette? You, Felicity Meghan Smoak made an omelette without burning the house?"

"Not exactly, Mom."

She didn't get time to tell her mom about Oliver when the said Oliver walked in all sweaty from his run. 

"Hey!" he said taking her for a sweaty kiss unaware of their guest. "I need a shower. Care to join?" 

"Hello! You must be Oliver. At least I hope you are because if you're not, Oliver is probably gonna be a little upset when he learns that while he is away, his girlfriend is taking showers with a pretty hot guy who isn't him!" 

Oliver pushed Felicity away gently and turned to face Donna. Felicity had tell him a lot about her mom but he was still a little surprised by her very little purple dress that didn't cover a lot of skin. 

"Hi! I'm Oliver." He said offering his hand to her.

She smiled before taking his hand. 

"Well if I had known you were back, I would not have come to cheer this one up." she said pointing at Felicity.

"Who said I needed cheering up?"

"Everyone. Your brother, you friends, and even your boss."

"Wait, when did you talk to my boss?"

"Friday. I called your cell and he answered. From what he told me you were on a coffee run and forgot it on his desk. He sounded really nice and cute too."

"Well they're all wrong. I don't need cheering up." she said her hands on her hips.

"Of course you don't now that Oliver is here. But you have been a real mess these past few weeks so I thought …"

"Okay, Mom! Now you see I'm okay so …"

"Are you getting rid of me?"

"No she's not!" Oliver said and that got him a very angry look from Felicity. "I mean, your mom drove all the way from Central City."

"I did. A six hours drive."

"It's only a 3 hours drive from Central City, Mom."

"Yeah, well they had some big shoes sales in Coast City so …"

"Of course!" 

"Anyway. I actually made plans with Thea for lunch so maybe we can all do dinner tonight. I'll cook!"

"A man that hot who cooks! Better put a ring on it!" Donna said laughing.

Felicity's cheeks burned red as did Oliver's. 

"Are you sure about that?" Felicity asked Oliver.

"Yes. Now if you'll excuse me I need to take a shower." He turned to Donna, "It was nice meeting you, Mrs Allen."

"Actually it is still Smoak. But you can call me Donna." 

Oliver smiled before making an escape to the bathroom. 

 

"Don't you ever leave me alone with her again!" Felicity said when Oliver joined her in her bedroom after his shower. 

"She's your mother, Felicity and she came all the way from Central City to cheer you up."

"I didn't need cheering up!"

"Babe, I wish my mother would want to spend just a few minutes in the same room than me."

"Well after spending an hour in a room with your mother, I'd rather have my heart ripped out of my chest and watch it being eaten by a monkey."

"What? When were you in a room with my mother?"

"Oh right, I didn't tell you …" she said playing with her glasses like she always did when she was nervous or uncomfortable. 

"Felicity?"

"I'll tell you all about it but not now. Now," she said coming right in front of him, "I need my boyfriend to take me far away from my mom."

"Felicity," he started when her hands came to rest on his chest before caressing his abs.

"What about our naked time?" she said her fingers playing with the towel wrapped around his hips. 

"I am not having sex with you while your mother is in the house." he said before putting a sweet kiss on her forehead. He turned and started getting dressed. She loved watching him, she'd rather watch him getting undressed but his body was just so beautiful, every part, every scar.

"How did you get the scars?" it was out of her mouth before her brain could do anything about it. 

Oliver froze then turned to her. He hesitated for a second, she saw him think about what lie to say as he must have done so many times. But he knew better than to lie to her. 

"I got into a lot of fights."

Felicity got closer and traced the big round scar on his left shoulder, then the one right under his left pec and the burn on his right one.

"Those are not scars from bar fights, Oliver." she whispered not sure he was ready to tell her the truth. "Please don't lie."

"I'm not. There is just some things I don't want to talk about. Some traumas I'd rather leave in the past."

"Okay. But remember I love you, Oliver Queen and I want to know everything there is to know about who you are."

"You will, Felicity. Just give me a little more time."

She couldn't say no to that. She still heven't tell him so much about her own past.

"Okay."


	20. Chapter 20

Oliver waited 20 minutes at the restaurant before Thea arrived which let him plenty of time to text Felicity to check how she was surviving her mother’s surprised visit.

Felicity : "She’s a nightmare!"

Oliver : "I’m sure she’s not that bad."

Felicity : " She wants to take me shopping! " 

Oliver : " How dare she!" 

Felicity : "Oliver! Don’t think I can’t hear sarcasm in your tone! She looked in my closet and decided I needed a new wardrobe especially now that I have a very hot boyfriend!"

Oliver : "She probably just want to spend time with you. And shopping is the perfect excuse."

Felicity : "I love you, Oliver, but you have to stop defending her! Because you make perfect sense and now I feel like a bad child."

Oliver : "Take it from the king of bad kids, you are not part of our club! You are a good daughter."

Felicity : "Have I mention how much I love you today?"

Oliver : "I love you too. Thea is here. Call you when I’m done."

 

"I know I’m late."

"I’m so happy to see you, Speedy." Oliver said hugging her tightly.

"Me too! I couldn’t believe it when you called." she said sitting across from him.

"I told you I’d come back."

"I know but ..." A shadow passed on her eyes then she smiled. "I’m so happy you’re here. Even if I’m a little disappointed."

"Why?"

"Well I’d thought after 2 months apart, you and Felicity would not be able to keep your hands from each other."

"We’re not animals, Speedy."

She raised her eyebrows not believing him.

"And her mom showed up this morning."

Thea burst out laughing.

 

He enjoyed his lunch with Thea maybe because she did most of the talking. She didn’t ask him about war, not even once. He was thankful for that. He was home. War was far away and he wanted to focus on his home with Thea and Felicity.

"Don’t hate me but I have to go." Thea said checking her phone. "Roy is picking me up."

"Roy?"

"Don’t! We’re just friends, Ollie."

"Okay."

"Don’t okay me!" she said smiling with stars in her eyes.

He could still see the little girl he loves chasing all around the Queen Mansion. That’s where her nickname came from. But his baby sister had grown so much, even more in the last few months, without him.

"I’m sorry I haven’t been around more since ...."

She put her hand on his forearm.

"Ollie you’ve been there for me since the day I was born. You have been there more than anyone else. Except maybe Raisa," she said laughing.

Oliver looked up and saw the sweet smile on his sister’s face and the honesty in her words.

"How did you manage to become this kind and sweet person despite our fucked up family?"

"Because of you, Ollie."

Thea’s phone buzzed on the table but she didn’t look at it. Her hand was still on Oliver’s arm.

"You can go, Speedy. I’ll be fine."

"You’re sure? I feel so bad for leaving you. This is not enough, I want more time with you."

"Well, if you don’t have any plans with Roy for tonight, I’m sure Felicity would love to have you over for dinner."

"Really?"

"She really likes you."

"I like her too, so dinner it is. Can I bring Roy?"

"Please yes."

"Promise you’ll behave."

"Of course!"

"Liar!" she said before getting up. She kissed him on the cheek and left.

 

Felicity and her mother were still out when Oliver came back in the afternoon. She left a key under a plant like she texted him earlier. He locked the door behind him and decided to make some coffee. He cleaned the kitchen waiting for the coffee to be ready. He poured himself a cup and started wandering around the house, her house.

He liked this place from the moment he walked in. Mostly because it was so much like Felicity. He walked to the bedroom and sat on the bed, on her side. He made the bed this morning, a new habit he picked up in the army. He used to never make his bed, Raisa did. He never cooked or clean either, Raisa did that too. But once he was on his own then in the army, he learned that he actually loved when everything was clean and at its place also that he loved cooking and he was pretty good at it.

He felt his phone buzz on his pocket so he put down his coffee mug on the side table to look at it. He had a text from Felicity.

Felicity : "On my way back."

Oliver : "What about your mom?"

Felicity : "She’s not with me."

Oliver : "Felicity, did you kill her?"

Felicity : "Only in my head over a thousand times LOL. But no. I just dropped her at her hotel."

Oliver : "She’s not staying here?"

Felicity : "No."

Oliver : "I wanted to cook for all of us tonight. I invited Thea and her friend over I hope It’s okay."

Felicity : "What are you talking about? I love Thea."

Oliver : "I know and she loves you too. But I mean, it’s your place."

Felicity : "Oh yeah it’s okay. You can invite anyone you want, anytime."

Oliver : "Thank you."

Felicity : "I’ll be there in 20 minutes."

He put his phone down on the side table and took his mug. That’s when he noticed the sheet. He didn’t mean to snoop but he recognized the writing, his writing. He unfolded them. It was all his letters. The sheets looked like they had been folded and unfolded numerous times. In some places, a few words were almost erased.  
   
It has been so long since I touched your soft skin I’m afraid I forgot how you felt against my palms. I dream of you every night and most of the days. I see you everywhere. I live with this constant pain in my heart. I miss you so much I think about deserting and go home just to kiss you one more time.

She must have read his words over and over again. In some of them, he could see dry teardrops that erased some letters or entire words.

"What are you ... » Felicity stopped when she saw the letters in his hands.

"How many times have you read them?"

She didn’t answer right away. She didn’t know if he wanted to know the truth but like he promised her, she would never lie to him.

"Every night." she whispered.

He looked at her with such sad eyes it broke her heart.

"You can’t do that next time."

"Why?"

"Because it hurts you too much."

"No it doesn't. It helps me."

"You were crying reading them," Oliver didn’t intend to scream at her but when he suddenly realized how much pain she must have been in, the same amount he was in the entire time he was away from her, he hated himself for doing this to her. Felicity jumped more surprised than scared by his harsh tone.

"So what! The man that I loved was Go knows where doing God knows what, risking his life so I am allowed to cry from time to time."

"I failed you too." he whispered sitting back down on the bed the letters still in his hand.

"What? " She came to sit next to him. " No you didn’t. " She took his hands in hers letting the letter fall on the floor.

"I swore I’d never hurt you. But I did and I will do it again next time I leave. " 

"I chose this, Oliver. I chose you, all of you. I knew what I was getting myself into when I said yes the first night we spend together. " 

"I should not have talk to you that night, " 

"How dare you? "  she was the one screaming now. "  How dare you wish you never met me! How dare you regret this! "  She put her hands on both side of his face. "  I will never regret meeting you. I will never regret falling in love with you. The only regret I have is not doing it sooner. " 

He felt the same way. She knew it. But she also knew how hard it was for him to see the pain loving him could cause the people he cared about.

"Oliver. I chose to love you. I chose to be with you. And even if there is a lot of choice I made I still regret, I don’t regret this one. I never will. Yes I was in pain the all time you were here cause I missed you and I was worried about you. But it is nothing compare to the happiness and joy you bring me when I’m with you or even just thinking about you. " 

Oliver was looking at her like she had just told him the secret of the universe.

"I love you so much I’d rather loose you than cause you pain. " 

"Loosing you is the only pain I would not survive. " 

She kissed him as if her life depended on this. As if he was his oxygen which he was cause she never felt more alive than with him. He kissed her back making her feel not only wanted but needed in a way that made her heart ache for his broken soul. They made love like they never did before. There was something different in the way he was touching her. His kisses had a different taste, a taste of certainty. She loved him. He loved her.

 

Oliver convinced Felicity they had to get out of bed if they were ever going to host a dinner.

"We could just cancel Or just host dinner from here. "  she said when Oliver pushed the sheets and got up.

"I’m not sure your mother, my sister or her boyfriend will love seeing me naked. " 

"I’m sure my mum wouldn’t mind at all. "  she said laughing.

"Well I do! "  he said putting his boxer on.

Two hours later, her mom was knocking at her front door wearing a very pink cocktail dress.

"So glad you learnt how to knock since this morning. " 

"Yes, I’m a quick learner! "  she sais making her way inside. "  Oliver, always a delight to see you. " 

Oliver had been in the kitchen for the past couple hours making something called a cordon bleu that Felicity had never even heard of.

"Donna. You look beautiful. " 

"Thank you, sweetheart. Felicity hates when I dress nice. " 

"No Mom. I don’t appreciate when you show more cleavage than me. " 

"Then show them more! "  she said.

"Mom! " 

"What? I made them, and I did a pretty good job, right Oliver? " 

"I’m a big fan of your work, Donna. " 

Oliver was restraining a laugh. Felicity shot him a cold look. Was he really talking about her breast with her mother? The doorbell rang and Oliver took his chance to run away from the Smoak girls.

"Ollie! Sorry we’re late. It took Roy forever to get ready. " 

Oliver recognized the boy next to her. He and Thea met a year ago when she did some charity work in the Glades. He was a nice kid who had to struggle his all life but was making his way through college.

"Roy. It’s nice to see you."  Oliver offered him his hand and the boy shooked it.

"Nice to see you too." 

Oliver let the both of them in and Felicity introduced them to her mom.

"Mom, this is Thea, Oliver’s sister. And this is her boyfriend Roy." 

Roy’s cheeks turned red when he heard the word boyfriend and he turned to Thea.

"Felicity, Roy is not my boyfriend." 

"Oh Frack! I’m so sorry. Oliver said he was." 

Thea turned to Oliver and gave him her angry look.

"Ollie! I told you Roy was not my boyfriend." 

"I know I just thought ..." 

"Oliver,"  Donna started, " Honey I can see why you would want your sister to be with this handsome young man but Roy is gay." 

"Mom! "  Felicity was so shocked by her mom statement..

"It’s okay, "  Roy was laughing. "I am gay."  he said still laughing.

Oliver looked at Thea. She was laughing too.

"So my gaydar is still pretty good!"  Donna stated raising her glass of wine. "  You can take a girl out of Vegas but you can’t take Vegas out of a girl! " 

"I want to know everything about you Miss Vegas!"  Roy said accepting the glass of wine Donna was offering him.

Thea and Roy listened to all of Donna’s crazy stories about Vegas while Felicity pretended helping Oliver in the kitchen.

"I just don’t understand how she could just say it like that!" 

She was sitting on the counter next to Oliver drinking wine and watching him making the salad.

"Well she was right." 

"  What if she wasn’t?! " 

Oliver came to stand in front of her, placing himself right between her legs she instinctively locked around his waist pushing him closer to her. He put his hand on her shoulders.

"Felicity, try to relax and enjoy yourself. Don’t let your mom get under your skin." He placed a chaste kiss on her lips and tried to push away but she used her legs to keep him in place. He smiled and let his fingers travel up to her hip while she tilted her chin asking for a kiss he gave her without hesitation.  
Whenever they were kissing, it was like everything around them disappear and all they could feel was each other. It was okay when they were alone but right now they were not.

"Get a room!"  Thea yelled from the living room.

The two lovers parted and Felicity’s cheeks were fifty shades of red.

"Dinner is served!"  Oliver said before kissing her on the forehead.

 

"So because I refused to buy her the computer she wanted, she spend 2 weeks going door to door on our building asking people for their broken computers or video games and she build her own computer." 

"Oh my god! How old were you?"  Thea asked still amazed by all Felicity’s childhood stories her mom have been telling them during dinner.

"Six or seven I think." 

"Did it work?"  Roy asked as invested in the stories as Thea.

"It was better than anything they were selling at the computer store. I mean that’s what the tech guys at Nerd Herd said when I took it there. They were so impressed!" 

"That’s impressive."  Oliver said.

He was so proud of how smart she was. Some men would feel threaten by her intelligence, not him.

"It is, Felicity. So the question is, what are you doing with my brother?" 

They all laughed but Felicity felt the need to put her hand on Oliver’s and squeeze it. He looked down at her and smiled.

" He is the best man I know." 

His smile widened and he kissed her on the mouth not caring about the people around them. She had to restrain herself from deepening the kiss.

"You two are just so cute."  Donna said clapping her hands together. "Now, let’s make some coffee! I have so much more embarrassing stories to tell you!"  She said making her way to the kitchen followed by Roy who could not get enough of her.

"I better make sure she doesn’t overshare."  Felicity left the table after kissing Oliver on the cheek leaving him with his sister...

They were both silent for a long moment. It was not a quiet and peaceful silence. It was the kind full of fear and secrets about to be told.

 

"When are you leaving again?"  Thea asked after a moment.

"I don’t know yet." 

"It could be anytime, right?" 

"Yes." 

She was not looking at him. He had never seen her like that. Thea had always been so confident and fearless even as a kid. She would always end up in trouble and Oliver and Tommy would be the ones to get her out.

"What’s going on, Speedy?" 

"There’s something I need to tell you. I wanted to tell you last time but with Felicity there, you just seemed so happy I didn’t want to say anything to jeopardize your happiness. But I can’t let you leave once more without you knowing who I really am."

"I know who you are ..." 

"I’m not your real sister."  she said it looking him straight in his eyes. "I overheard a conversation between Mum and Malcolm Merlyn. I couldn’t believe it at first but it all made sense. I am Merlyn’s daughter." 

"I don’t care." 

"What do you mean you don’t care? Dad is not my Dad. Mum has been lying to him for 18 years.  She had an affair with Merlyn and got pregnant. Tommy is my half brother! How can you not care about this ?"

"I don’t care. No matter who your father may or may not be. You are my sister, Speedy. This doesn't change anything for me. But it must have been so hard for you dealing with this alone."

"Not alone. Roy has been there."

"Good. But I'm sorry I wasn't there for you."

"It's their fault."

"Not entirely. I made so many mistakes, Speedy and they were not all their faults. It was a valid excuse when I was 15 but not anymore."

"Whaou ! Felicity is really changing you."

"I'm not." Felicity said coming back to the table and sitting beside Oliver. She took his hand and entertwined their fingers. "I'm merely pushing him to realise who he really is."  
Felicity had the profound belief that Oliver had always been a good man but never had anyone who believed in him. But now he did. They looked at each other, talking without words and didn't even notice Donna and Roy came back.

"I think it is time for us to leave these two alone." Donna said standing up.

Oliver and Felicity escorted their guests back to the door.

"You're still coming for the Hollydays ?" Donna asked Felicity when she opened the front door.

"Hum … yes, of course."

"What about you, Oliver ? Any plans for Christmas ?"

"Well I was thinking maybe I would spend them with Thea."

"Actually I won't be in town. I'm going to Texas with Roy to see his family."

"And our parents are okay with it ?"

"Yes, once I'll text them from Austin." she said laughing. She kissed him on the cheek before joining Roy in his car.

"So, now that you are free. How about a Smoak/Allen Christmas/Hannukah ?" Donna asked her hands stroking Oliver's arm.

"Mom ! Don't pressure him ! You don't have to say yes."

Oliver took Donna's hand in his.

"I would not miss it for the world, Donna. Thank you."

"Good ! " she was almost jumping in the air. "So see you two lovebirds in two weeks !"


	21. Chapter 21

"You really don't have to come with me. I'm sure I can make up some excuse …" Felicity was watching Oliver pack for their trip to Central City. 

"Felicity, I want to go." he said packing an extra pair of socks. His suitcase was so perfectly organised that it made Felicity feel bad about hers. 

"Because you don't know what is waiting for you over there" 

"Hey, I don't care, as long as I'm with you." he said smiling at her, he closed his suitcase and put it back on the floor. 

They had spent the last 2 weeks in a bubble of happiness. Oliver slept at her house every night and spend most of his days there too. She would wake up every morning to the smell of fresh coffee and some amazing breakfast he had cooked for her. 

Oliver didn't sleep much. Even when he did sleep, he still had nightmares. Worse than before. Felicity tried to make him talk about them. She knew those were different from before. He had not talk about all that happened when he was away. She knew the all team made it back in one piece but he must have seen some things and it was haunted him, she knew it but could not do anything as long as he didn't talk to her about it. 

It was the morning before their departure for Central City. Felicity was now sitting at the kitchen table, watching him making omelettes while she was drinking his amazing coffee. He was concentrate and so serious when he was cooking, it amazed her. And he was so good at it. 

"If you think my mom is a piece of work, wait until you meet Barry. He is overprotective." she kept going savouring every sip of her coffee. 

"I am myself a pretty overprotective brother so I think I can handle him." 

"And Henry is a Papa Bear. And Oma …"

"I'm starting to think you don't want me to meet your family," he said putting her perfect omelette on her plate. She jumped off of the counter and sat at the table. 

"I just want you to know exactly what you're getting yourself into." she said her mouth full of heaven. 

He smiled at her and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. 

"I want to go, Felicity. I want to hear your brother and your step dad threaten to kill me if I ever hurt you, I want to hear you giggle with your friends when they tell you what they think of me, and I really really want to meet your grand mother."

"Okay. It's your life." she said laughing but still a bit worried. 

This was a big step. A step she was ready to take with Oliver but still a scary one. Her family and friends all knew about the previous relationships she had and they will be on their guards. 

"Have you talked to Thea? How is she handling things?"

"She called yesterday. She is still fighting with our mom."

"Your mother is so scary."

"She is not that scary."

"Hum, let's agree to disagree on that one, honey."

"She's just overprotective and overcontrolling."

"And overscary." Felicity added. She told Oliver about her meeting whit Mrs Queen and he brushed it away, saying that it didn't matter to him what she may think of her. She knew she should not let herself be affected by her words. But it was hard. 

"Anyway. You should get ready or you'll be late … again. And Curtis will blame me, again."

"Well, if I remember right, you were the one walking in here half naked with all those perfect abs yesterday morning …" she said pointing to his stomach. 

She coudln't resist his abs, or his face or his scent. So she had been an hour late to work the morning before and Curtis was so worried he ended up showing up at her door and found them naked on the sofa. 

Oliver went to get the mail while Felicity was getting ready in their room. Her room. It was her room not theirs. Or was it? He had been sleeping at Felicity's since he got back, going to Tommy's from time to time to get some clothes. He felt more at home at her place than anywhere in the world. He flipped the letters in his hand, closing the door behind him. 

"Oliver? Have you seen my keys? I can't find them anywhere!"

"They're on the …" he stopped mid sentence when he saw the enveloppe.

"Oliver? They keys?" Felicity shouted from her room but Oliver was not hearing her anymore and she found him froze in the middle of the living room an enveloppe in his hand when she finally give up her search upstairs. "Oliver? What is it?"

He didn't say anything, he handed her the enveloppe. It was adressed to Mr Queen and Miss Smoak. It was weird seeing both their names put together like that. She liked it. 

"Who is it from?"

"My parents."

She looked up at him. 

"Wait how do they know where I live? And how do they know you live there too? Not that you officially live here, just that you have been spending all your nights here and most of your days too. But anyway, this is so not the question here. Why would your parents send us a letter?"

"It's not a letter. It's an invitation."

"An invitation to what?"

"Their annual New Year's Eve Bal."

Felicity opened the enveloppe and took out a beautiful invitation with both their names on it. 

"Okay, that is nice of them to invite us …" she said reading the perfectly calligraphed letters. 

"We're not going." Oliver said taking the card back from her hands and throwing it on the kitchen counter before cleaning up the plates. 

"Why?"

"Are you really asking me that?" 

"Oliver, they're making the first step here." she said her hand coming to rest on his shoulder.

"After how both my parents treated you when they met you, how could they even imagine I would put you through an entire evening with them."

"Oliver, it has nothing to do with me. They probably don't think I'll come. But you have to."

"I'm not going anywhere without you."

"Okay then I guess we are both going to a bal at your castle."

"Mansion."

"What?"

"It's not a castle. It's a mansion. Prince live in castle."

"Oh and who lives in a mansion?"

"Stupid rich boys."

"Exactly my type." she said kissing him. 

Oliver pushed her a little closer his hand coming to rest on her waist. It was not the place, it was her. She was his home. 

 

Felicity's day at work went pretty smoothly, she made sure everything was taking care of so that she would be able to enjoy every moment with Oliver and her family during her hollyday. 

"So you're ready to leave?" Ray just entered her office. He just got back from a trip to Chicago and the both of them haven't seen each other in a few days. They texted and emailed a lot for work, especially while Oliver was away, Felicity took the habit to talk to Ray every night. At first, it was just to let him know everything that happened and was related to the Company but he always aked how she was doing and they would start talking about Oliver or her mother and he would talk about his sister. 

They had become more than just boss and employes. They were becoming friends and even if she knew there was nothing more between them, she still felt a little guilty for getting close to him while Oliver was gone. She haven't really talk about this slight change in their relationship to Oliver and she felt bad about it. But at the same time she was not doing anything bad so she didn't see why she had to tell Oliver about it. 

"Yes. Everything has been taking care of. And Curtis will be holding the fort for me until I get back from Central City." she was gathering her stuff, putting some important files she wanted to work on in her purse.

"You know you're not supposed to work on vacation, right?" Ray said laughing at her, he came to sit on her desk, close to her, like he had done a thousand times before but she felt uncomfortable now that Oliver was back. She knew it was unfair to Ray and to Oliver but was still not sure about Ray's intentions towards her and even if she didn't really care when she was alone, with Oliver back she felt like she was disrespecting him just by being friends with Ray. 

"I know." she said taking a step back from her desk and from him. "I just need to familiarize myself with a few projects for our big meeting with Queen Consolidated."

"Why are you so nervous about working with the Queens? I thought your boyfriend was a Queen."

"Yes but his relationship with his family is pretty complicated and his parents are not big fans of me."

"I knew they were hard in business but I had no idea they were as stupid as not seeing what an amazing person you are."

She was blushing now, she could feel her cheeks burning. Why was she blushing? 

"Well, they can't all be as smart as you." Was she flirting with him? No, she wasn't. "Oliver should be there any minute to pick me up." she said not really knowing why she felt the need to tell him that. 

"Hey." She heard Oliver's voice behing Ray. 

Ray turned around and Oliver was standing by the glass doors. He was wearing the brown leather jacket Felicity loved so much because of the way it embraced every muscle on his arms. His white shirt was also doing a pretty good job showing off his muscular chest. And you could guess how perfect his abs were under it. He looked like a Greek God. Her Greek God.

"You must be Oliver Queen." Ray said walkind to him, holding up his hand. "Felicity has told me so much about you."

Felicity held up her breath cause she recognized Oliver's cold look and was silently praying the internet gods that Oliver had not forget that this man was her boss. 

"Nice to meet you too, Mr Palmer." Oliver said shaking his hand. 

"Please call me Ray."

"Okay, Ray." he said chuckling. 

"Felicity, ,honey, we have to go or we'll miss our train." For anyone else, the way he just said her name had no special meaning but Felicity knew what her name felt like on his tongue and this was very different of all the times he said it before. 

"So meeting the parents, not too stressful I hope." Ray said trying to make small talks while Felicity was finishing packing her stuffs. 

"Not as stressfull as Irak." Oliver said. If he had not seen it he would have felt the ice cold look coming from his girlfriend on the other side of the room. "What about you? Ray? Any plans for the holydays?" he added trying to sound more friendly.

"Not really. I'm spending Christmas with my sister."

"Okay I'm ready to go. Please say hi to your sister for me." 

"Of course. Happy Holydays."

"Happy Holydays, Ray." 

Oliver couldn't help but put his hand on Felicity's shoulder and turned to Ray smiling. Felicity rolled her eyes. 

 

They decided to take the train because it was faster and Felicity loved trains. 

"I've never been on a train before." Oliver said once they found their seats. 

"Are you serious? But you said you've been to Central City a few times."

"Yes. With the company jet."

"Oh. Sometimes I forget how rich you are."

"Were. My parents cut me off a while ago."

"Good. I've never been a fan of rich people."

"Me neither," he said laughing at her remark. 

 

"You’re upset?" They had been sitting on the train for 20 minutes and Felicity had not say a word to him.

"Why would I be upset, Oliver?" she said crossing her arms on her chest. She looked mad for sure.

"I don’t ... "

" Oh please! You know exactly why I’m mad at you! " she was trying to keep her voice down but a few heads turned in their direction.

" Felicity I really don’t know. But whatever I did I am sorry. "

" So you are sorry for treating me like your property? "

" I would never ... "

" Really the little pissing contest with Ray was not about me? "

Oliver didn’t respond right away to her accusations. He got so mad when he saw Palmer sitting casually on her desk so close to her, talking to her, making her smile. He tried to restrain himself from punching him in the face.

" You’re right. "

" Tell me something I don’t know. Why were you acting like that? "

" I was jealous. "

" Jealous? Oliver, nothing is going on between Ray and I. We’re friends, I think. I would never do that, I hope you know that. "

" I do. It’s not that kind of jealousy. I just, I saw him there in your office talking to you, being so close to you and I thought about all those times in the past months he must have done the same thing, all those times he had been there for you. I just wish I had been there for you. " he said the last part in a hushed whisper. 

She got up and came to sit on his lap not caring about their audience.

" You’re always with me, Oliver, no matter how far you may be, you’re my home. "

" You’re my home too, Felicity. "

She kissed him slowly, letting her tongue savor his mouth.

Barry was late. As usual. After all those years, Felicity still couldn't figure out how her brother managed to always be late. Their train arrived 20 minutes ago and she had already sent him a dozen angry texts while Oliver managed to find them some coffee.

" I know. I know. But it’s not my fault this time! " Barry said out of breath when he finally showed up. 

" It’s mine. I really wanted to come but I had to stop by the paper and my editor was there and he wanted me to update him on a story I’m working on and ... Oh! Hi! You must be Oliver. I’m Iris. Felicity’s bestfriend and Barry’s fiance. "  Felicity couldn’t help but smile at the way Iris was looking at Oliver.

Even with Barry standing next to her, Iris was smiling like a fangirl to Oliver. He took the hand she was offering and she took her time before letting him go.

" I’m the fiance. And brother. Not Iris’s brother. I’m Iris’s fiance and Felicity’s brother. I’m Barry. » He probably meant to sound manly and strong but he only managed to stutter and look like a fool.

" And now you understand why I told you not to come. " Felicity said laughing at her friend and brother.

" It’s really nice to finally meet you two. " Oliver said using his natural charm.

Barry shook Oliver’s hand before turning to Felicity. His eyes light up looking at her but it was nothing compared to the smile on his face. Or on her face. He opened his arms and Felicity threw herself at him.

" Hey! " Barry whispered.

" Hey! " she said back.

Oliver and Iris stood there for a moment just watching them.

" You’ll get used to it. " Iris said. " They just love each other so much it can be annoying. "

" Hey! " Felicity said when she heard them. " Shut up and come here. " she said opening her arms to her friend.

Iris used to live next door to the Allens and she had been friend with Barry forever when her mom and her moved in. It took Felicity a little time to get used to Iris but once she let her in, she knew she would never leave.

" You guys must be so tired. Do you want to go back home or maybe eat a bite first? "

" I’m starving! " Felicity said.

 

" It is kind of nice knowing that no matter where you are, you’ll always find a Belly Burger. "

They were almost done with their meal. Felicity was finishing Oliver’s fries while he was talking about some sports team she never heard of with Barry. She liked how natural sharing lunch with an other couple felt.

" You’re sure you don’t want to stay with us? " Iris asked when they were walking back to the car.

" Of course we would but Mum would definitely kill me. "

" Then my Dad will kill me. "

" And Oliver is eager to see where I grew up. He doesn’t know what a normal house look like. He grew up in a castle. " she added whispering.

" Again, it’s a mansion ... " he heard how stupid his defense sounded and they all laughed at his comment.

" It’s okay honey. I love you with a mansion or a castle. " she kissed him on the cheek and he smiled at her.

Felicity and Iris went to the restroom which gave Barry the chance to have the big brother talk.

" You look like a good guy. No matter what the tabloids have to say about your past, Felicity says you are a good man and I trust her judgement. But you also have to know that after everything she went through with her past relationships, I’m gonna keep a very close eye on you. She is my sister and my bestfriend. And even if I’m pretty sure you could snap my neck in less than a second, I will protect her. I won’t fail her this time. " Barry barely breathed during his talk and Oliver listened to him patiently and very carefully. He heard what Barry was saying but he also heard what he wasn’t saying and that was the part that made his heart ache.

" I have a sister. I don’t know if Felicity told you. "

" She did. Thea, right? "

" Yes. I failed her a few times so I know how it feels. I would never hurt Felicity on purpose. I love her. I don’t know everything that happened to her before I met her but I can see how it scarred her. I will do everything I can to heal her and make her happy for as long as she wants me by her side. I hope it’s enough for you. "

Barry didn’t have the time to answer before the girls came back to the table and they headed back to their parents house.

 

Donna had to do everything big especially when it came to her daughter’s new boyfriend. She decided to host a big family dinner for the first night of Hannukah when they usually had a small one and Felicity, her mom and her grand mother would light up the menorah. But Donna insisted on making things different. It was the first time Felicity was bringing someone home for the Holidays so it had to be special.

" It is so good to have you Oliver! " she kissed him on the cheeks which took him by surprise and even made him blush. Felicity couldn’t hold a laugh.

" Thank you for having me Donna. " he said smiling at her.

" So you are Oliver. " A middle aged man said coming to stand beside Donna.

" Don’t worry Dad, I already had the talk with him. You can relax. " Barry said patting Oliver's shoulder. 

" Thank God! I’m really bad at these kind of talk. " he said exhaling loudly. " So nice to meet you Oliver! " Henry said shaking Oliver’s hand.

" Nice to meet you too, Mr Allen. "

" Call me Henry, please. "

" You must be exhausted! You should go upstairs and get some rest before our family dinner tonight. "

Felicity didn’t hesitate a second before taking Oliver’s hand and running away from her overprotective family. She pushed him inside her room before slapping and locking the door behind her.

" What did Barry tell you? "

" So this is your bedroom. " Oliver said looking all around him and pretending he didn't hear her question.

The room was very different from her house. The walls were painted in a dark grey and full of black and white posters of music bands he never even heard of.

" Yes. My mum didn’t change it much since I left for college when I was 15. "

" Felicity, honey, " Oliver said pointing at a photograph on the wall. " Is that you? "

He was looking at the picture of a 15 years old Felicity with dark black hair holding up her high school diploma.

" Yes. I had a pretty dark phase. "

" So you’re not a real blonde? " he said laughing.

" No. I dye it. Does it change anything for you? "

" Absolutely not. It actually explains some things. " he said pulling her close to him.

" Like what? "

" Well first, I was always more into brunettes, " he was now playing with her ponytail.

" And second? "

" It explains the weird hair products I found in your bathroom. "

" Would you like me better as a brunette? "

" You are perfect just the way you are. " he said kissing her.

" Good answer, Mr Queen. "

They kissed a little more before Felicity heard her mother’s voice from the hallway.

" You have everything you need, honey? Need any towels? »

" No! We’re fine, Mum. " she answered between kisses

" Okay! Henry and I are gonna go get Oma. Barry and Iris just left, they’ll be back for dinner. You two are gonna be okay here? "

" Yes! "

"Okay then. See you in a bit. "

"How far does your grandma live? "

"45 minutes. "

"I can work with that. " he said kissing her again. She kissed him back, their tongues exploring each other. They were both panting before they even lie on the bed.

"I will never get tired of kissing you. " Oliver said testing her mouth once more.

" Good. Cause I want you to kiss me for the rest of my life. "

Oliver stopped kissing her and smiled at the implication behind her words. 

"The rest of your life?" he teased knowing very well she did not mean to say this out loud. 

Felicity froze and bite her lower lip not knowing what to say. Her mouth had a mind of its own and could not shut up especially when it comes to Oliver Queen. 

"It's okay Felicity. I want to kiss you until the day I die." he said before kissing her again. "But right now I want to make love to you before your grandma gets here."

"Who's stopping you?" she said biting his lower lip. 

 

"Did you guys get some rest?" Donna asked when Felicity came back downstairs after a must needed long hot shower. 

"Yes." she said doing her best to hide the big smile on her face thinking back on her alone time with Oliver. 

"I'm sure you two rested very well." she heard her grandmother's voice before she saw the woman sitting on the corner of the kitchen. 

"Oma!" Felicity run into the old lady opened arms and burried her face in her neck, smelling her vanilla perfume. 

"My Felicity. You look happy baby. It looks really good on you." she said caressing her face.

"Oma! I missed you so much!" 

"I missed you too, honey. But as happy as I am to see you …" she said looking behind Felicity. "I am way more interested into the reason behind that smile."

"Oliver is on the phone with a friend."

"Good. Now tell me more about him before he shows up."

Felicity always had a very close relationship with her grand mother. Oma was there for her mom and her when her father left without goodbye. She was a strong woman who survived war and lost and still managed to smile and enjoy life. 

"He is perfect, Oma." was all Felicity had time to say before the said perfection came down. 

"I can see that." Oma said looking Oliver from head to toe. 

"Oliver, this is Oma. Oma, this is Oliver." Felicity said introducing them. 

Oliver walked to the chair where Oma was sitting and held his hand. She watched him very intensely for a moment before taking his hand in hers and holding it for a minute still looking him right in the eyes. Oliver didn't move or say anything. He looked her straight in the eyes. 

"I see." the old woman said. "You've seen war and death. You carry it with you. I can see it in your eyes." Oliver shivered. "We have that in common." she said releasing his hand.

"Oma!" Barry came into the kitchen and hugged the woman. Oliver took a step back not sure what to say or do about the woman's words. 

"Hey!" Felicity put her arms around his waist and he took her close, kissing the top of her head. "She likes you."

"How can you tell?"

"I know her."

"What did she mean by "we have that in common"?"

"She was born in Poland in 1930."

"Oh!" Even if he didn't pay a lot of attention in class, he knew enough to know it was not a good thing to be a polish jew during WWII. 

"She survived hell. But she lost everything, everyone. That's why she came here. To start over."

"Okay, who's hungry?" Donna asked clapping her hands together.


	22. 22

Dinner with Felicity's family was very different from any dinner Oliver ever had with his family. They laughed a lot which was something he pretty much never did with his parents, at dinner especially.   
Dinner at the Queen Mansion was a very important thing, so important his parents missed most of them during his childhood. So it was usually Thea and him eating in the kitchen with Raisa. And he loved every one of these dinners. He loved all the meals Raisa made, he loved how Thea always tried to cheat and get straight to dessert. But his parents never experienced those dinners. The Company always came first. Oliver was very young when he realised dinners were only important to his parents when they had some "friends" coming over. Then dinner would be a play where every one of them had a very specific role to serve the Company. Oliver hated those dinners.   
But dinner with Felicity's fmaily was just happy. They were all just enjoying spending time together. Donna had so many stories about Felicity as a child, so many funny stories he would never get tired of hearing. Henry didn't talk a lot but he had an amazing laugh. And Oliver could not help but see the way he was looking at Donna. That was what a real family felt like. 

"Are you okay?" Felicity asked during dinner. "I know they're a lot to take in …" she added looking at her family. 

"They're perfect," he said, his hand on her thighs. "And so are you." he added kissing her on the cheek. 

"Aren't you two sweet." Oma had not say a lot during dinner but she kept an eye out for Oliver. He felt her studying him but it didn't bother him. He loved that so many people looked out for Felicity. She was so loved it made him feel a little bit sad, she didn't need his love as much as he needed hers. After dinner, they all rised up and helped clean up the table. 

"Oliver, dear, would you help me get to the couch, please." Oma said getting up from her chair. 

Everybody looked at her in surprise. They all knew she didn't need any help walking to the couch. Oliver knew it too but he smiled at Felicity and offered his arm to her grandma. 

"Don't be scared, boy. I am not about to give you a speech about how I will kill you if you hurt my grand daughter. I'm sure Barry and Henry took care of that part already."

"Yes they did, maam."

"Good. Now let's talk about you for a bit," she said sitting down on the couch. Oliver took place next to her not sure what there was to talk about. 

"You've seen war and death." her affirmation took him by surprise but he could feel there was no judgment or wonder in her eyes, she was just stating the obvious. 

"I did."

"It changed you, didn't it?"

"I don't know."

"Don't be a fool. You know it did."

He didn't answer.

"Oh don't worry, I will not make you talk about it. I'm no shrink. You're going back soon?" she asked.

"Yes."

"I'm sure it will be worse then. You'll probably do things that will not just change you but change your soul. Trust me, I've seen it happened to a lot of good men. War doesn't just kill. It burns your soul even decades after its end."

Oliver didn't say anything. There was nothing he could say. Oma knew war. She had known one of the worst war humanity ever experienced. She was right, he had seen things. Even if their mission was only a reckon mission, he had seen death. But he also knew next time will be very different. 

"But there is something in your eyes that scares me boy."

"There is something in my eyes that scares me too." Oliver didn't know why he said that. He had not say this to anyone. Not even Diggle. 

"Be careful, Oliver. Don't let darkness take over you. Hold on to the light. Hold on to her." she said and Felicity walked in at this exact moment. 

She was his light and he was planning on holding on to her as hard as he could for as long as she'll let him. The rest of the family joined them a few minutes later and they all sat in front of the fireplace talking and playing games. 

"What do you mean you never took a family trip?"

They were looking at some old pictures of some of the Smoak-Allen family trips. 

"You've never went on vacation with your parents?" Henry asked.

"We did. But we never really spent time together. I mean we traveled a lot when I was a kid. China, Japan, Europe, Russia, South America but it was always for the Company so I never really spend time with my parents. It was just me or me and Thea."

"Europe? Did you go to France?"

"Yeah. My parents own a few places there."

"How good it is to be rich!" Barry said laughing. "I mean, Lake Tahoe and Yosemite look so boring compared to Paris!" 

"It looks pretty amazing to me," Oliver said smiling at the picture of Felicity and Barry on a canoe. 

"You have no idea how money can make you lonely, Barry." Donna said stroking Barry's hair. "But don't worry, with your line of work, you'll never have to face that kind of problem." she added making everyone laugh. 

There was something about Donna that made Oliver smile. She had this candour but also that strenght he saw in her daughter too. He didn't know the all story of the Smoak's journey but he could easily imagine it was a hard one. But looking at his girlfriend, he could only be glad they went through whatever they had to go through cause it shaped the woman he was so in love with today. 

"I'm tired, let's go to bed." Felicity said once Barry and Iris left promising Donna to come back for breakfast tomorrow. Oliver took Felicity's hand and followed her back to her room. 

"I'm gonna take a shower. Make yourself at home." she said kissing him. 

Alone in her bedroom, he decided to give a look around and discover as much as he could about Felicity. First thing he learned was that she had friends. There were photos of the same group of people from her house in Starling City. He recognized Iris and Barry but there was two other guys and a girl he had not met yet but only heard of. They all looked so happy and, he had to admit, a bit geeky. On one of the pictures, he noticed a man who was on none of the other pictures. He made a mental note to ask Felicity about him. 

"Snooping around?" she asked when she entered the room a few minutes later. 

"Just looking." he said. 

"I have a lot of photos." she said. "I love taking pictures of happy moments, so I'll never forget them." she explained.

"You never took photos of us." he said. 

"Because I know I will never forget any moment I spend with you." 

"That's nice," he said kissing her. "But we have to start taking some." 

"Okay."

Oliver took out his phone.

"Not now!" she said.

"Why not?"

"Have you look at me? I don't have any make up on?"

"So?"

She didn't know what else to say. She just didn't have any make up on. 

"Babe, you're always bautiful."

She could hear the truth in his voice. She was always beautiful for him. She could not only hear it but certainly see it in his eyes. No matter the time of day, no matter how puffy or sleepy she might look like, he always looked at her like she was the most beautiful person in the entire world. Feeling wanted and loved in such a deep level was something she wasn't used to but was learning to love.   
She smiled at him, and took his phone from his hand. They took their first selfie together before they made love. 

"I meant to ask you about this guy." Oliver said the next morning when they were getting ready for breakfast. 

"What guy?" she asked while checking her emails.

"The guy on your college picture."

He saw her froze when she realised what photo he was talking about. She looked up from her phone and straight to the photo. 

"That's Cooper." she said. 

"Oh." was all Oliver could come up with. "I should have known."

"I love this photo. Even with him in it."

"I'm sorry. I should not have asked." he said.

"No it's okay." 

"You don't have to talk about him or anything."

"Actually I think I should. I mean, he is a part of me. And so is Billy."

"You never mentionned Billy."

"No. I don't talk about him at all. He's like a taboo here."

"He hurt you." 

"In a lot of ways, yes."

She sat down on her bed. She had to talk to him about Billy. She was ready to tell him more about her past relationships so he could understand who she was. She spend so many hours in therapy talking about this and now it was time to share this part of her with Oliver.

"I told you a little bit about Cooper. He was not a nice guy. He used me and made me feel like I was less than nothing. After him, I had such a low opinion of myself, I felt like I didn't deserve to be loved."

"You do." he couldn't help but say it. 

"I know that now, " she said taking his hand in hers. "But after Cooper, I was a mess. Then I met Billy. The perfect guy. It was my first year after college, I was working at a small tech company and the salary was not enough so I took a part time job at Jitters, a coffee shop. And that's where I met him. He was a cop, he was charming and he liked me. I didn't really need more than that. We started dating and it got serious pretty fast. We moved in together and the nightmare started. He was always over protective, but I thought it was because he was a cop and knew how dangerous the world was. But then he became possesive and ultimately without even realising it I was cut off from all my friends and even my family. But he loved me. And I needed that so much. Now I don't think I really loved him. But ultimately, he became violent and I left."

She managed to say it all without crying. That was a victory for her. She looked up to Oliver. He was silent but she could see the anger in his eyes. 

"It was a long time ago, Oliver. I got over it. I moved far away and became the best version of myself. Even better because of you."

"What happened to him?"

"Who? Billy?" he nodded. "Nothing."

"Nothing?" he asked even angrier. 

"I didn't press charges or anything if that's what you're asking. I couldn'nt back then. Then it was just too late. And he's a cop."

Of course. Oliver understood how she could not do anyhting back then. Going through a trauma like this must have been so hard. As a man, he would propably never understand how hard it must have been for her. 

"I would never do that to you." he said tilting her chin so she had to look him in the eyes. "You know that, right?"

"I do." she said with no hesitation. He smiled and kissed her tenderly, his lips slowly brushing hers. 

 

He'll be home soon. She had to make sure everything was perfect. The appartment was as clean as it could be. She spend hours scrubing every surface. Dinner was ready, she picked it up from his favorite sushi restaurant. She was even wearing his favorite dress, the blue one with no sleeves and a pretty deep cleavage. She was not allowed to wear this dress outside of the appartment or in the presence of anyone other than him. She learnt that the hard way a few weeks ago. She instinctively covered her forearm where the blue marks were almost gone. She jumped hearing him at the door. Her body tensed when she heard the keys turn in the lock. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was gonna be okay. 

"Dinner was good." Felicity smiled at Billy's comment. "And the place looks good too."

"Thank you." she said cleaning the table. 

"Where's the wine?" he asked when he had drunk all his glass.

"I put it on the fridge." she said putting the dirty plates in the sink. 

"Without asking me if I was done with it?" She froze. 

"I thought …" before she could finish her sentence, he was behind her, his hand pulling her ponytail back.

"Who asked you to think?" And before she could realise it, she was on the floor. She covered her head with her hands. She always covered her head. He was screaming at her, she could feel his hot breath filled with alcohol on her face. She didn't even hear what he was saying. Then he took her by the arm and made her stand again. She was crying and it made him even madder. 

"Stop crying! Stop fucking crying!" And that's when he slapped her. She was not expecting it and it was so violent she fell back on the floor. 

She wasn't crying anymore. She was in shock. He hit her. He had never hit her before. He grabbed her, he pushed her but he never hit her. She felt the pain in her face. Slowly, she touched her cheek but it hurt even more. 

"Felicity, honey, I din't mean to … I'm sorry." Billy was on his knee, crying. 

He hit her. This was not gonna be okay. This had to stop. She managed to stand up. Billy was still on the floor crying and begging. She looked at him and saw nothing else than a lost boy. She took a deep breath before walking to the door. She was about to open it when she felt his hand grab her by the hair. 

 

"Don't! Please! Don't!" 

Oliver woke up to Felicity's screams. She was sweating and curled into a ball next to him. 

"Stop! Please! Stop!"

"Felicity!" He reached for her and grabbed her arm. 

She jumped and woke up with a terror in her eyes he had never seen before. It took her a few seconds to realise where she was and who he was. 

"Oliver." she whispered. She was crying and trembling.

"It's okay," he said pulling her close to him. "I'm here. You're safe." She let him hold her while she was catching her breath. 

"I … I'm sorry." she whispered her face burried in his neck.

"Don't apologize. It was not your fault, babe." After a few minutes, she was breathing normally but she was still shivering. 

"Let's take a hot shower, it will make you feel better." Oliver said. They stood up and Oliver almost had to carry her to the bathroom. 

He opened the water and helped her take off her clothes before taking his off. They stepped under the hot water and he felt her muscles relax. Oliver started rubbing her back and she let the feeling of his fingers on her calm her trembling. She pulled him closer, her back resting on his chest. He held her like that for a long time until the water got colder and he had to turn it off. Then he took a towel and started to dry her.   
No matter how many time they had sex, how many times they touched each other, they never got tired of the other's touch. He took her back to bed and held her until she fell back to sleep. 

 

Oliver didn't mention the nightmare or Billy anytime during the rest of their time in Central City. But Felicity felt him looking at her differently sometimes. He knew there was more to say about what happened with Billy but he also knew she wasn't ready to say more so he didn't ask. And she loved him all the more for it. 

"Let's have a party!" Barry said coming back from the kitchen. 

Oliver and Felicity were leaving in a couple of days and Felicity was just saying she felt bad about not having more time to see all of her friends. Oliver and her spend a lot of time enjoying the quiet and intimacy of her family home. And of her bedroom. So except for Iris and Barry who came over most days for dinner, she only had time for coffee with Caitlin. 

"What are you talking about?" Felicity asked putting her glass of red wine back on the coffee table before returning to the comfort of her boyfriend's arms on the couch. 

"Let's have a dinner party at our place! We could invite all our friends so you can see them all in one night."

"That's actually a great idea." Iris said. 

"Don't sound so surprise, honey. I'm a pretty smart guy."

"Not as smart as me!" Felicity said.

"Says who?" Barry asked sitting next to Iris on the armchair.

"Every teacher we ever had"

"Oh, right." he said laughing. 

"But it is a great idea." Felicity said her face lighting up at the idea of seeing all of her friends. Even if she had made a place for herself in Star City, it was hard being so far from all her friends. She missed them. 

"It will be so good seeing everybody!" Iris said already texting everyone. "And a good way to show all of this around." she added poiting to Oliver. 

"I'm more than just a body." Oliver said fainting to be insulted by Iris remark. 

"Of course you are,babe." Felicity said kissing him on the cheek. "So? What do you say? You're ready to meet the all gang at the same time?"

"I think I can manage."

"Good. Cause I really want to show this off!" she added uncapable of hiding her excitement. 

 

Oliver insisted on cooking for her friends so they arrived at Iris and Barry’s apartment in the early afternoon so he could have everything ready by 6pm.

"Oh my god! This is so good." Iris was in the kitchen area with Oliver and she was tasting his cordon bleu.   
Felicity loved seeing him with her family especially her grand mother. They were all under his spell. It was a first. They didn’t like Cooper and certainly not Billy. But Oliver was different and so was she. 

"You just can’t help yourself?" Barry asked bringing her some coffee. 

"What?"

"Looking at him like he’s the sun."

"You mean the way you’ve been looking at Iris since high school?"

"Exactly!" 

They both laughed. 

"You look happy. I mean truly happy."

"I am. Whenever I am with him I feel so ... free."

"That’s cute." Barry said mocking her. 

"Shut up Bar." she said slapping him not too nicely on the arm. "But seriously, what do you think?" She always valued Barry’s opinion above anybody else’s so she had been pushing asking him this specific question until the last moment. She could be a chicken like that.   
Barry didn’t answer right away. He looked over to the kitchen where Oliver was taking time to teach Iris how to make the best guacamole he ever tasted. 

"He’s a good man. And he loves you." he stated looking back at her. 

"How can you be so sure?" 

"I have eyes. I see the way he looks at you. But also the way he moves around you like he’s ready to take a bullet for you." 

"He’s a soldier, Bar. It’s his job to take bullet for others."

"Felicity, that man loves you. Don’t ever doubt it." 

She knew Oliver loved her. She knew it in her bones. And she loved him. But some part of her was still struggling with this new concept of happiness and trust.

The guests arrived right on time which was a surprise cause they were all used to being late. 

"We didn’t want to make Oliver wait." Caitlin said when she arrived with her fiancé Ronnie. 

Felicity met Caitlin in college when she was looking for a roomate during her second year, right after the Cooper fiasco. They fell in love with each other pretty quickly and became best friends. Felicity loved how calm and quiet Caitlin was. And Caitlin loved Felciity's constant energy and how she always pushed her to her limits. Ronnie and Caitlin had already been together since high school when she met them. And they were already the cutest couple she had ever met. 

"It’s so good to see you Felicity!" Caitlin said hugging her friend.

"We’ve missed you so much!" Ronnie added kissing her on the cheek. 

"Now where is this Greek God I’ve heard so much about?" Caitlin followed Felicity to the living room where Oliver was talking to Cisco about some video games she never heard of. 

"Oliver, this is Caitlin and her fiancé Ronnie."

Oliver put down his beer and held his hand to introduce himself but Caitlin was just standing there frozen. Her mouth open and her eyes devouring him. 

"You do look like a Greek God." she whispered in shock. 

"Excuse her, she forgot all about her manners or her fiancé. Nice to meet you, Oliver." Ronnie said shaking Oliver's hand.

Eventually, Caitlin’s shock passed and she was able to have a conversation with Oliver without drooling too much. Alison and Emma, her former collegues arrived a few minutes after Caitlin and Robbie and unfortunately had a similar reaction when introduced to Felicity’s boyfriend. 

Dinner was amazing and not just the food which was very very good of course. Everybody seemed to love Oliver. Especially the ladies. But Felicity was okay with it. He was all hers and she knew it. After dinner, they all went to the building’s roof for some drinks. Oliver was sitting on the edge, Felicity positioned herself between his legs and he closed his arms around her. They talked about so many things Felicity couldn’t recall them all. It was nice. No it was more than nice. She was so happy she could have burst into tears. Happiness is not about anyhting else thand the people you surround yourself with. 

"We’re out of wine." Alison stated. 

"I’ll go get more." Oliver said jumping off the edge.

"I’ll come." Barry said. 

"Don’t you guys let us all alone with all the ladies." Cisco said motionning Ronnie to follow Barry and Oliver. 

Oliver was reaching for the bottle of Felicity’s favorite white wine when he noticed the guys whispering a few feet from him. He knew they took the wine as an excuse to get him alone. He turned around and they all fell silent looking at him with a very obvious fake smile on their faces. 

"What’s going on?" he asked a little nervous. 

They all looked at each other the way he looked at Tommy when they were hiding something from the rest of the world. Cisco took a deep breath before turning to Oliver. 

"Listen, man, we all like you very much."

"But?" Oliver asked feeling there was a but coming. 

"No, there’s no but, Oliver. It’s just ..."

"It’s just that we are looking out for our girl, here." Ronnie said. 

"Barry already had the don’t hurt her talk, you know."

"We know. But I need you to understand that she’s been through hell the last time she loved someone. And you can’t even imagine..."

"I’m not Billy." Oliver interjected. He saw the surprise on their faces when they heard the name.

"She told you about Billy?" Barry asked.

"Yes. She said he was very possessive and became violent so she left."

"Violent! The dirtbag almost killed her!" Cisco said anger in his voice. Barry put a hand on Cisco’s shoulder to calm him down.

"She didn’t tell me that." 

"She just want to forget about that part of her life. That’s why she left the city. She needed a fresh start." Barry said trying to avoid having to say more. 

"Barry, what happened exactly?"

"I’m not sure ... I mean she should be the one telling you."

"I think she can’t. She tried and told me a little bit of what happened and then she had a nightmare and she was screaming. It took me a while to calm her down after that. I need to know what happened." Barry exchanged an other look with Cisco. 

"The man is a psycho. From the beginning none of us liked him. We knew there was something wrong but she loved him. So the more we said about him the more she pushed us away." Barry started. "He wanted to know where she was every second of every day. He was tracking her phone and following her every time she left the house. Then he started snapping at her for no reason, especially when he was drunk which was most days. Then one night she have had enough and after he hit her for the first time, she decided to leave. But he didn’t let her." 

"He left her on the kitchen floor," Cisco continued, "like she was trash and he went back to work like nothing happened. She managed to call Barry and we came to get her. We found her on the floor. She refused to go to the hospital so we took her to Caitlin and Ronnie. They were only med students but they knew what to do."

"He broke her nose, a few ribs and gave her a concussion." Ronni explained. 

"She refused to press charges." Barry said. "After that, she stayed with Iris and me for weeks, recovering, she could not even leave the loft. Our parents never knew. After that she was scared of everything and everyone."

"Did he try to find her?"

"Oh yeah. He came here a few times, wasted but Iris’ dad is a detective so he managed to keep him away. But he could not do anything else as long as Felicity refused to press charges."

"So he just walked?"

"Yes. And believe me it kills me everytime I see him." Barry added. 

"He still lives here?" Oliver asked. 

"No. He was transfered to Coast City a few weeks after Felicity left. But he comes back from time to time to visit his mother."

"And certainly to check if Felicity is back." Cisco added. 

That was a lot of information and it explained a lot about Felicity. But also a lot about the people around her being so protective of her. She was strong and it was probably thanks to all these people caring and loving her. 

"I would never hurt her." was all Oliver could say. 

 

Oliver could not stop staring at Felicity the all ride back home. 

"They all loved you. I mean I knew they would. But you charmed them, mister. Even Cisco who can be overprotective. Even he could not shut up about how great you are."

Oliver smiled, still looking at her. He tried to imagine what she looked like when this monster was done beating her up. Her beautiful perfect face bleeding and hurting. His heart could not bare the image. 

"Honey, your silence is scaring me and you staring doesn’t help." she said once she parked right outside her family home. 

"I’m sorry."

"Barry told me that the boys talked to you about Billy. They should not have." she said closing her eyes. 

"It’s my fault. I asked."

"You could have asked me." she looked at him and he felt stupid for not simply asking her. 

"And see this look on your face?" he said his fingers tracing a road from her eye to her lips.

"I’m sorry I was not totally honest about what happened."

"It’s okay."

"No. I should have been ... it’s just that it’s still hard. He was so smart. He made me feel so good at the beginning. He was sweet and he made me feel loved and wanted, needed even. My friends didn’t like him so I pushed them away, took my distances from them. Then my family started worrying and I did the same thing. My circle got smaller and smaller until I was left with no one else than him. When he started being violent with me, grabbing me and pushing me around, he had already destroy me inside so I felt like I deserved it. I was clumsy, I was stupid. I didn’t know what to do. I still loved him. Until I thought I was gonna die. That night, I was sure he was going to kill me. And he almost did." she added her voice breaking at the memory not so much of the pain but the fear. She was looking in the darkness in front of her, silent tears falling from her eyes. 

"He left me on the kitchen floor, bleeding. Like I was trash. I managed to get to my phone and I called Barry. After that things got hard. He did everything he could to get me back."

"Why didn’t you press charges?"

"He was a cop, Oliver. And a good one. Everybody loved him. And I was not ready. I was a mess. I could not leave Barry’s appartement for weeks. I was scared of everything, even myself."

"I’m so sorry this happened to you." he said taking her trembling hands in his. 

"That’s why I left. I wanted a fresh start to rebuild myself. In Star City, I became something else, someone else."

"I wish all of this suffering never happened to you but, Felicity, it shaped the person you are today and I love her so much." She turned to him, a small smile on her face. 

"I love you too, Oliver." 

They made their way to Felicity’s bedroom, without turning the light on, they took their clothes off and made love. Oliver was gentle and sweet, he wanted to make her feel cherish and safe. She did. He was her safe place and she was his.


	23. Chapter 23

They had been back to Star City for just a few days and spent most of them home. Except when Felicity was working of course. Oliver admired how much she loved her job. He had never seen such passion before. It made him love her even more. He especially loved how she was treating her coworkers and even her assistant. He was so used to his parents treating their employees like they were nothing he almost forgot that some corporate people actually saw their employees like family and treated them as such.

            Ray was definitely that kind of boss and not just to Felicity. Oliver had seen him talk and laugh with every employee from the genitor to his VP. He was a good man and even if Oliver knew Ray had a crush on his girlfriend, the man was too nice to be hated even by Oliver Queen. Of course, it didn’t stop Oliver from being a little territorial with Felicity and he always got her famous eye rolling when he did.

"So, you guys are moving in together or what?"

"What? No! It’s too early. Is it too early?"

            Felicity and Curtis just finished their day and were getting ready to leave. She had never leave work before 8 p.m. before she had Oliver Queen waiting for her at home.

"I mean, he’s at your place every day, he sleeps there, eats there. Sorry to break it to you, honey, but he already lives there."

            Felicity froze. He was living there. They were living together. She had been so scared to face that truth that she kept telling herself that until they actually said it it just wasn’t real.

"Oh God! We do live together!" she said sitting back on her chair.

"Sorry I was the one to break it to you." Curtis was clearly mocking her.

"But I ... How do I know we’re ready for it? "

"Felicity, honey. I’ve never seen you as happy as you are since this Greek God walked into your life. I think you’ve been ready for him your all life."

"You can be such a girl sometimes, Curtis." Felicity said mocking him this time.

"And proud to be!" They both laughed.

 

"I made lasagna." Oliver said when she walked into her house. Their house.

            She took a few seconds to just look at him. He was in the kitchen, prepping salad, he was wearing dark blue jeans and a white shirt. He was barefoot and so hot she had to restrain herself to take him right there on the kitchen floor.

"Did you know that apparently we are living together." she said with a wide smile on her face.

            Oliver froze and put the salad plate on the table.

"What? No. We don’t … I mean I'm here most of the time but I don't … I would never … "

"Oliver," she said getting closer to him, her hand stroking his upper arm. "We are living together honey. And I’m happy about it."

"Really?" he had those puppy eyes again.

"Yes. I love you. And I want to be with you, every day. I want to come home to you. I want to wake up next to you every morning. If that’s also what you want."

"Yes." he whispered before kissing her.

 

"We really don’t have to go."

"Of course, we do, Oliver. We RSVP’d and Thea would kill us if we don’t show up."

"Are you afraid of my sweet baby sister?"

"Of course, I am! And you should be too cause she’ll blame it all on you if we don’t go."

            Oliver had been trying to find any excuse not to go to his parents’ New Year Bal but nothing had work. So now he was watching his girlfriend getting ready to officially meet his parents. Of course, she had already had met both of them separately and both times it was a disaster. So, he couldn't wrap his head around why she wanted to go.

"Is this a new dress?" he asked when she started putting the red dress on.

"Yes. Thea chose it. You like it?" she asked already knowing the answer. Oliver’s eyes were filled with lust and his eyes were travelling up and down the dress.

"Are you sure this is the appropriate dress for tonight?"

"Why wouldn’t it be?" The dress was very classy, it didn’t show too much cleavage but it did have a very opened back and was open on the side showing part of her thighs.

"I mean it is a beautiful dress but I’m not sure I can resist taking it off of you." he said, his fingers travelling down her back.

"We’re going to your parent’s castle where there will be a lot of people including your mom and dad so you better behave, Mister Queen." she said kissing him.

 

            He had this weird feeling in his stomach all the way to the mansion and it only got stronger as they approached his childhood house. Dozens of cars were waiting for the valet and his fists clenched around the wheel. Felicity slowly covered his hand with hers.

"Everything is gonna be okay." she whispered.

"As long as you’re with me."

"I won’t leave your side, I promise."

            They stepped into the house glue to each other. The house was even bigger on the inside. The high ceiling, the paintings, the stairs. It was a lot to take in. It was hard for Felicity to imagine her Oliver growing up here. This didn't feel like a home.

"There you are!" Thea threw herself at Felicity and hugged her. "I thought you’ll never come!"

"We almost did not." Oliver said taking his sister in his arms.

"I knew you’d try anything to get out of this! Thank god you are here! I’m already so bored!" Thea was a ball of light and energy that looked so out of place at this strict dark party. "Let’s get you a drink, Ollie. You look like you really need one ... or ten."

            They made their way to the bar and Felicity noticed how Oliver was scanning the room. He was in soldier mode, it was as if he just walked into enemy territory and was ready to pull a gun and fight for his life at any moment.

"Hey." Felicity pulled him closer to her. He looked at her and his look changed. "Relax, baby. I’m here." she caressed his cheek and he leaned to the touch and smile before kissing her gently.

            Laurel and Tommy arrived just a few minutes after them and Oliver relaxed a little bit more. They spend most of the evening talking amongst themselves, enjoying each other company and making fun of every other guest.

"Oh God! It’s him! Felicity! It’s Ray Palmer!"

            Ray just walked in accompanied by a beautiful young woman she didn’t recognize. When he saw her, Ray smiled at her and walked straight to their little group with her date glue to his side.

"Felicity. It’s good to see a familiar face." He said smiling at her.

"Ray. I didn’t know you were coming." she said.

"It was a last-minute decision. Oh, and this is Hayley."

"Hum. Nice to meet you.” The woman smiled shyly at Felicity but when Oliver joined Felicity, her eyes light up and so did her smile. “Ray you remember Oliver."

"Of course, how are you?" Ray said holding up his hand.

"Good. You?" Oliver shook his hand and smiled at him not even acknowledging the woman.

"Good. This is a beautiful house you’ve got."

“Actually, it’s my parent’s. Not mine.” Oliver said before he was pushed to the side by Thea.

"And this is his sister, Thea." The young Queen has been hiding behind her brother waiting for the perfect time to push him aside. Thea shook his hand battling her lashes at the man.

"I’m one of your biggest fan." she said laughing and shaking his hand.

"That is so sweet."

"Mr. Palmer." someone called him and Ray excused himself before leaving them.

"You let her work with that every day, Ollie?"

"Let me?" Felicity frowned turning to Tommy.

"I didn’t mean ... What I was saying was that ... Ollie? Little help. She scares me a little."

"Sorry bro, you’re on your own. She scares me way more." he whispered loud enough for everyone to hear. They all laughed.

 

"Oliver, my beautiful boy."

            Felicity felt her before she heard her voice. It was like the air went colder and all the happiness they were feeling just vanished. Moira Queen was not an ice queen, she was a Dementor. And a pretty scary one.

"Mother." Oliver's voice went cold just like his eyes. He turned to his mother, not even bothering to put a fake smile on his face.

"I’m so happy you came ... and that you brought ... Miss Smoak of course."

"Mrs. Queen. Always a pleasure." she tried not to sound too sarcastic but failed judging by Moira Queen’s look.

"Laurel. Sweetheart, it’s so good to have you back here." she hugged Laurel to everyone’s surprise including Laurel's. "You look radiant. Pregnancy suits you well, dear. I haven’t got the chance to congratulate both of you.” She added hugging Tommy. “It was so unexpected. I’ve always thought one day you’d be expecting a little Queen. But a Merlyn is close enough." she said laughing.

            Oliver was about to say something but Felicity held his arm and pulled him closer to her, shaking her head at him. She could take every hit the Dementor will throw at her.

“I don’t think any of us ever thought Oliver and I would make it to this point,” Laurel said her hand on her belly. “But all hope isn’t gone now that he found Felicity.” She added.

            Felicity couldn’t help but chuckle at Moira’s look.

"Anyway, Oliver, darling, I need to talk to you." she said turning to him. "Alone." she added looking directly at Felicity.

"Whatever you have to say to me you can say in front of Felicity."

"It’s about the company. And with Miss Smoak working for one of our competitor, I don’t think it would be appropriate."

"It’s okay, Oliver. Go. I’ll wait for you here." She smiled at him and he gave up. He followed his mother after placing a kiss on her cheek.

 

"Please sit." His father was sitting at his desk when he entered the room after his mother had lead him to his father’s office.

"What is this?" he asked turning to his mother who was now closing the door.

"We need to talk ... about her." She added after a pause.

"I don’t want to hear anything you have to say about my girlfriend."

"Oliver, we have always been more than understanding when it comes to your frequentation. But this is out of line." his father started. "How well do you know that girl, son?"

"Pretty well, thank you."

"So, you know she was arrested in college for hacking the federal government?" he said pulling out a brown file with Felicity’s name on it.

"She was cleared of all charges. Her college boyfriend did it."

"And then he killed himself. How convenient." His mother stated.

"Guilt can be hard on some people. Not that you would know." Oliver was getting really angry.

He needed to leave this room before he lost his temper.

"What about her dad?"

"What is wrong with you two?" he yelled, before getting up and walking to the door.

"He’s a criminal. Dis she tell you that?" His father questioned.

"Oliver, she comes from a different world. Can’t you see that all she wants is your money." Moira tried to use a soft voice, the kind she always used to make Oliver feel like a boy whose only hope in life was to be loved by his parents.

"What money, mother?” He yelled at her, his fists clenched. Moira took a step back recognizing the anger in her son’s eyes. “You kicked me out of this house, out of this family. You cut me off and haven’t talk to me in months. You don’t know anything about my life or me. You never did. So, stop pretending like you do now."

"Oliver. You know we love you." She pleaded.  

"Please, you don’t know what love is. But thanks to Felicity I do now. And nothing you could tell me about her is gonna change that. So, if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna get back to her."

He didn’t wait to see their reaction and left as fast as he could.

 

            He wanted to see her. To look at her. To get lost in her eyes so he could forget about his parents. He walked into the living room and looked for her. He spotted her by the bar talking to Thea. She must have sent his glare cause she turned around and looked at him.

            Their eyes locked and he started walking towards her. She said something to Thea before walking to him. When they met in the middle of the dance floor, he put his hand around her waist and she let him bury his face in her neck.

"Hey!"

"I need you so much." He breathed pulling her closer.

"I’m all yours." Oliver let his hand slide down to the top of her ass. "But babe, no matter what happened with your parents, I’m not sure getting all handsy in front of an audience which includes your sister and my boss is a good idea."

"I want you." he whispered in a husky voice. This voice made her entire body shiver.

"I want you too. I always do." she said pushing her body closer to his. "Believe me when I say that if I had it my way I would take you now.” She put her hand around his neck. “Believe me, I want you to touch me with these slow hands." she murmured covering his hands and bringing them to her lips. She kissed his knuckles slowly, her tongue tasting his skin.

"I want you so bad right now, I’m not sure I could do slow." Oliver said in a low voice filled with desire.

"Then you can speed it up, make me sweat." she whispered in his ear. "I want to take you deep. I want you to make me come again and again."

            Felicity could feel him shiver at her words. His breathing was sharp and he was getting hard against her. Without any hesitation Oliver took her hand and lead her out of the room. They passed by a few guests who waved at Oliver but he did not even acknowledge them. He took the stairs and Felicity managed to keep the pace with her heels on until he opened a door and pushed her in.

            The room was dark but a large window let the moonlight shine in and she could see they were in a bedroom as big as her first apartment. Before she could ask him where they were, Oliver was pushing her against the door he had locked behind him. He kissed her hard, his all body covering hers. She couldn’t breathe but she didn’t care. He was the only oxygen she needed. In a quick move, he made her turn around so she was now facing the door. He pushed his erection against her ass before whispering in her ear.

"Slow or fast?"

"Fast ... and hard." she said biting her lips in anticipation.

            Oliver tucked her dress up and put her panties down in a quick motion. He was inside her before she could even realize it was happening. She cried out at his sudden invasion and he stopped to let her adjust.

            Once she was ready, she started moving and he moved in sync with her. It was fast and hard just like she asked for. The quick friction and the fact that they were having a quicky whilst strangers were downstairs drinking and celebrating made them both come fast and hard. Oliver had to hold Felicity’s body so she won’t fall, her legs were still shaking. He took her to the bed and they lied next to each other for a moment.

"It’s my bedroom." Oliver said when Felicity started looking around her.

"It’s ... so big."

The room had a living room area in front of a massive fireplace. The bed itself was gigantic. A door on the right was probably leading to the bathroom. But something was missing. It was like nobody ever lived inside these walls. It didn’t feel like Oliver. It wasn’t warm and safe. It was cold and dark.

"I don’t like it." she said turning back to him. "It doesn’t feel like you."

"This is the part of me I’m trying to forget," Oliver said sitting on the bed looking at this room he never liked. It used to be a refuge from his parents but it became another prison for him. "You would not like it."

"I love every part of you, Oliver." She sat up and let her head rest on his shoulder.

Oliver didn’t say anything but he looked at her so intensely that she could feel his words in her heart.

"So, will you tell me what happened with your parents? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I will take any excuse to have sex with you but I would like to know the reason."

"Nothing. They always manage to push my buttons." Oliver stood up and walked towards the window.

"Oliver. Don’t lie to me."

"I ... they’re not worth it. I don’t want to talk about them."

"They hate me, right?" she never thought it would matter to her but it did.

"What? No! They’re just stupid and greedy and selfish." He said turning to her.

"So, they do hate me."

"They don’t even know you."

"So, what did they tell you that made you so angry?"

"Felicity ..."

"Okay if you won’t tell me I’ll have to guess. And I’m a pretty smart girl so I think I can easily figure it out." Felicity stood up and walked towards the living room area. "Your mother thinks I’m a gold digger so she probably tried to find some dirt on me to make you get rid of me. Let’s see. What could they have found? Probably Cooper." Oliver’s silence confirmed her suspicion. "What else? My mum? She has been called a gold digger too. I mean a cocktail waitress from Vegas marrying a rich doctor."

"They didn’t say anything about your mum. I wouldn't have let them." Oliver said coming to sit on the couch.

"If it’s not my mother... my father." she said after a pause. Once again, Oliver’s silence was a confirmation. "What did they found?" she asked.

"Felicity, I don’t care about any of this." he said taking her hands.

"But I do." she sat next to him, their hands entangled. "Oliver, tell me."

"They didn’t say much. They said he was a criminal. I left before they could say anything else." Felicity was very silent for a moment and it freaked Oliver out. "Felicity. I’m so sorry. They are not good people."

"But they are right. He is a criminal." she said taking a deep breath. Every time she had to talk about her dad, she had this pain in her stomach. "He's a hacker, a pretty amazing one. He did pretty bad things, got mixed up with the wrong people and the FBI was closing in on him so he ran. He just left us. I woke up one morning and he was just gone."

Oliver pulled her into his arms and she let her head rest on his shoulder. She wasn’t crying, she stopped crying for him a long time ago. But it still weighed on her, probably more than she even realize.

"We should get back to the party." Felicity stated after a few minutes.

"Or we could go home." he offered kissing her forehead.

"That sounds so much better. Let’s say goodbye to everyone."

They exited the room and made their way back downstairs. They found Thea and made their goodbyes before Oliver went to get their coats leaving Felicity alone in the hallway.

"Leaving so soon, Miss Smoak."

She turned around to face Oliver's father.

"Mr. Queen. Yes, we are leaving. Thank you for inviting us."

"Thank you for coming. I wish we had more time to get to know each other." he said smiling at her. He was a very good liar. If she didn't know better, she could have fall for his kind words and nice eyes. But she was not stupid and she could see the calculation behind all of this.

"Really?" she said laughing. "I think you already know plenty about me." she added smiling at his reaction.

She saw the surprise in his eyes realizing that she already knew about his little scheme to make her go away. But he was a pro and in just a flash, the surprise was gone and the calculated smile was back on.

"I’m sure you can understand where Oliver’s mother and I are coming from. We don’t know you and we need to look out for our son."

"You mean your money." she interjected.

"Excuse me?"

"Please, Mr. Queen. I grew up with loving and caring parents. I know what good parents actually look like and you are not one. All you care about is your money and your company. So, don’t pretend you care just a little about Oliver. You don’t even know him. And for that I am sorry for you because he is by far the best man I’ve ever met. Not that you cared enough to ask but I love your son. Not his money. So, take it all. He is all I need." Mr. Queen couldn't hide the surprise and shock on his face. No one had ever dare to talk to him like that.

"Dad." Oliver came back and placed himself between Felicity and his father like he did the first time they had meet. "Felicity? You okay?" he asked looking straight to his father, defiance in his eyes.

"Yes." she said taking his hand. "Let's go."

"Say goodbye to mum for me." he said helping Felicity with her coat.

They didn’t even wait for him to respond and left.

 

 

 

"I love you guys. But you are so boring!" Thea came by after work to spend some time with Oliver and Felicity and ended up staying for dinner.

"I love being boring with you." Oliver said kissing Felicity.

They had a nice dinner and were now drinking some wine and talking about their plans for the weekend.

"Staying home is not a plan! Especially not for a Saturday night."

"What your Saturday night look like?" Felicity asked.

"I’m working."

"Boring!" Oliver teased her.

"I work at a night club so it’s everything but boring! Ho! I just had the best idea!" she said jumping on her chair like a kid.

"No!" Oliver said knowing exactly what was going to get out of his sister’s mouth.

"You should come to Verdant! See how it is and where I work." she said to Felicity ignoring his brother's comment.

"I know Verdant." Oliver said.

"I don’t." Felicity said. She had never been a fan of night clubs, growing up in Vegas must have made an impact on her.

"You’re gonna love it! And we can all hang out!" Thea said clapping her hands together.

"You’ll be working!"

"I’m the manager. I can take a break whenever I want. So, what do you say?"

Oliver turned to Felicity. She wanted to go, it was clear on her face. He let out a long sigh of defeat.

"Okay."

 

 

 

Clubs were loud. It didn't take Felicity more than a few seconds in Verdant to realize that very important fact about clubs. Oliver was glued to her side, his arm around her, keeping her close every second.

"Oliver, honey. I love how protective you are but we are not in a battle field."

"Believe me they are." he said pointing to the men sitting at the bar.

"I love you, Oliver. But I came here to have fun and hang out with your sister so you need to give me a little space." she said pushing him away from her.

"I'm sorry. It's just … I've been one of them, I know how they think."

"And I get that, but I’m not some helpless girl who need her boyfriend to defend her virtue. So, please, let's have fun."

"You heard her!" They both turned to Tommy. He was sitting next to them and they didn't even see him.

"What are you doing here?" Oliver asked surprised to see him.

"Well, your sister mentioned Oliver Queen was heading back to his old hunting ground so I decided to come and walk down memory lane with you."

"What about your very pregnant girlfriend?"

"She's home. And she's the one who told me to come." He drank his whisky. "I think she’s tired of having me around all the time."

"I don't blame her." Oliver said.

"Well, now I'm gonna go find Thea." Oliver motioned to follow Felicity but she stopped him. "No, papa bear. You stay here with your best friend." She didn't wait for him to say anything and left him.

"She's very bossy." Tommy said handing him a glass of whisky.

"Yeah. And I love it."

Felicity found Thea and after getting some drinks and chatting for a bit, they headed to the dance floor. It felt so good. She was having fun and it was all thanks to Thea. She was such a ball of energy and fresh that she made Felicity feel like some 15 years old all over again. Or at least the 15 years old she could have been. All her life, Felicity had worked. First at school and college than at Palmer Tech. Her job used to be everything to her. But now, her whole life was shifting and work wasn't the center of it anymore.

"Looking good, babe." Felicity felt hands on her hips and before she could react, she was pulled against somebody's body. She could feel the hot alcoholic breath on her neck and the sweaty hands on her skin. She managed to turn around and push as hard as she could.

"Get your hands off of me!" she said putting some distance between her and the man standing in front of her.

"Oh, come on! You were asking for it. With that dress and those moves."

"Fuck you." Thea stepped in and Felicity held her so she wouldn't hit the guy.

"Oh, I'll fuck you too baby!" he said laughing. Before any of them realized what was happening, the laughing man was now lying on the ground, blood spilling out of his mouth, some of his teeth on the ground next to him. Oliver was holding him by the collar and threw another punch on his face then another and another.

"Oliver!" Once the man touched the ground after the last punch, Oliver stopped for a second. Then he put his foot on the man's face.

"Don't you ever touch a woman without her consent, you piece of shit."

Felicity could not move. For a few seconds she froze looking at a man she didn't recognize. His face was Oliver's, the man she loved but his eyes were so cold she had to take a step back when he looked at her asking her if she was okay.

"Felicity? Are you okay?"

She tried to speak but the words were stuck in her throat. Oliver let go of the man who ran as fast as he could, and he took a step towards Felicity. Instinctively, she took a step back and held her hands up to stop him. Oliver stopped. Felicity closed her eyes and took a deep breath, counting down from 30 to calm herself down.

"Come on, Felicity. I'll take you to my office and get you something to drink." Thea said taking her by the hand. Oliver followed them maintaining a safe space between them. He stood by the door while Thea fetched Felicity some water.

"You okay?" she asked when Felicity finally stopped shaking.

Thea's office was on the 1st floor. She had a simple glass desk in the middle of the room and a couch looking directly at the windows from where you could see everything that was happening on the dancefloor.

"I'm sorry. I just … he just scared me."

"Men can be pigs." Thea said. Working at a night club, she saw the worst kind of men there are out there.

"I'm not talking about him." Felicity said, looking at the door where she could feel Oliver's presence. Thea followed her look.

"Oh." she said before sitting down next to Felicity. "He can be overprotective sometimes." was all she could say.

"Did you see his eyes?" she still had this image printed on her retina. The cold dark emptiness she saw in another man's eyes way too many times before.

"He used to have this look a lot. It scared me too." Thea said looking at the door. "But he came a long way. He used to be angry all the time, about everything. He was getting into bar fights every single night. You have no idea how much money our folks had to spend to stop people from pressing charges." she said. "But he changed. He did and even more since he's met you."

"So, what about tonight?"

"He thought you were in danger. He saw red."

"This is not an excuse. He could have kill the guy."

"But he didn't. And you have to understand that this darkness you've seen in him tonight. It's not going away. It's a part of him."

"So, what am I supposed to do?"

"You have to know he would never hurt you. He's just protecting you. The wrong way but it's the only one he knows. And you can just do whatever you can to harness the light for him to stay away from his darkness."

"When did you become so wise?" she said drinking some water.

"I'm a woman, doesn't it come with the package?"

"Yes, it does." Felicity said laughing with Thea.

"Can I let him in? I'm sure he's going crazy out there." Thea asked after a moment.

"Yes." Felicity said in a long breath.

 

Oliver paused for a minute before stepping inside once his sister left them alone in her office. He has been trying to hear what they were saying but the room was soundproofed. It had been his idea so that Thea could still work and have private meetings during the open hours. So, he had been pacing for the last ten minutes, replaying the last hour in his head. Everything was going so well. He loved watching Felicity laugh and dance on the dancefloor while he was spending some quality time with his best friend.

"Just like old times!" Tommy said raising his glass for a toast.

"Not exactly like old times." Oliver reminded him.

"You're right. I would already have been drunk and banging some girl in the bathroom and you … you would be getting into a fight."

"Yeah and look at us now. You are not too drunk …"

"Getting there!" Tommy said asking for a refill.

"Yeah well I'll make sure you get home to your very pregnant girlfriend in one piece."

"I'm about to be a dad." Tommy said taking a sip of his third whisky. "Can you believe it. I don't know how to be a father, Ollie. I mean you met my dad. Promise me you'll kill me if I turn out to be as bad as he is."

"I won't have to. Laurel will kill you herself." Oliver said and they both laughed knowing too well that she would.

"But I'm serious, man. What if I'm a bad dad."

"You won't be."

"How can you be sure?"

"Cause you’re already a good one. You are already thinking about your kid's happiness and you already put him first. Neither of our dad ever did that for us. So, don't worry you're already an amazing dad." Oliver raised his glass to his friend before taking a sip and turning his eyes back to his girlfriend.

"Look at you. Being so wise. And going home with the same girl you came in with." Tommy said patting him on the back. "I'm so proud of you."

"I'll never take anyone else home." Oliver said looking at Felicity laughing at something Thea just told her. "She's my always, Tommy. There is nothing I wouldn't do for her."

"Good for you. Let's toast to our happiness!" Their glasses clinked and they drank laughing together.

When Oliver turned back to the dancefloor, he froze. He couldn't spot Felicity anymore. He looked around then noticed her hair, right behind a man's large silhouette. She was obviously too close to him. He put his drink back on the bar and started to walk towards her. He saw her push the man away and then before he could even think, his body moved fast and his fist touched the man's jaw. He felt the hard bones crack against his knuckles. The man didn't expect the hit and he fell under the violence and the surprise. It didn't stop him. This man touched his Felicity. He grabbed him by the collar and punched him again, and again, and again. He couldn’t think or feel anything. It was all about the pain and the annihilation he wanted to cause. _Oliver!_ Her voice echoed in his head and he let go of the man before turning to her. There was despair in her tone but only fear in her eyes. He tried to get to her, to touch her and make sure she was okay but when he stepped towards her, she took a step back. Then when he tried to move again, she held up her hands, like she was trying to protect herself from him. It hurt him in a way he had never been hurt before. For a minute, she saw him, as a threat.

"Felicity, I'm sorry."

"About what, Oliver?" she asked her arms crossed on her chest. She was standing beside Thea's desk. "About almost killing a guy? About scaring me? Or about reminding me what it was like to be afraid of the man I love?"

Her words felt like a million bullets hitting his heart. That's what she saw in his eyes. Him. Billy. When he promised her, he would never hurt her like Billy did. He reminded her of him, of the darkest time of her life.

"I would never hurt you, Felicity. I just … I just lost it. I saw him touching you and I just … I couldn't control myself. I love you so much." He tried to get closer to her but she took a step back.

"Don't you dare use love to justify your behavior. This has nothing to do with love. This is about control, Oliver. Control you don't have on your anger."

She was right. How many men used their love for a woman as an excuse to beat them? He would not be one of those men. Never.

"You're right."

"I don't need you to tell me that. I know I'm right."

"What do you need me to do?”

“You need help, Oliver.”

“Okay. I’ll get all the help you want. I’ll go to every shrink or doctor you want me to see. I would do anything. Just don't … please don't leave me." he said in a whisper but she heard it.

"Leave you? I'm not leaving you."

"You're not?" This time, she was the one taking a step towards him. She came to him and put her hands on each sides of his face, forcing him to look at her.

"I love you, Oliver. All of you. The good and the bad. The light and the dark." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. He kissed her back and held her in his arms for a moment. "Now, would you take me home. I think I've seen enough of what your old life looked like."


End file.
